Mordechai Richler’s book “Son of a smaller hero” Essay

If I were to base my opinion of Jewish people solely on Mordechai Richler’s â€Å"Son of a Smaller Hero†, I would probably start wearing a Swastika on my arm and pledging my allegiance to the fuehrer. Richler characterizes Jews as a people who have an enormous lust for money, women, and power. Richler delivers a piece that seems the complete antithesis of his origional novel. While he crammed his former novel with soft-spoken words, which displayed his passion to inform on useful subjects, â€Å"Hero† blows its readers away by its directness and disregard of political correctness. It tells the story of Noah Adler, a young Jewish man who feels trapped by his ghetto upbringing. He comes from a family controlled by his grandfather Melech Adler. Melech’s observance of the Jewish law turns Noah off of Judaism. He leaves the family and their business, to drive a cab and attend university. Noah’s departure from his family includes one from his religion as well. Once on his own, he is faced with a life unknown to him, and his morals and ethical standards are continually challenged. As he resolves his on going battles with his grandfather, he begins to realize that there is much more to Judaism then he originally though. Apart from Noah’s growing relationship with his grandfather, we see little character development among the novel’s main characters. We are subject to the same comments about the same characters, chapter after chapter. These monotonous descriptions of the characters, while emphasizing characters flaws excellently, become extremely humdrum halfway through the novel. Although Mordechai Richler did not write this as an autobiography, the book does include numerous elements of his life. He endured the hardships of St. Urban Street and the Montreal ghetto as well. This book, while the first in Richler’s series of â€Å"ghetto books†, is the most inclusive about all aspects of life there, from cheap pool room owners, to permanent signs in Jewish stores that read, â€Å"Half-Price sale†, or â€Å"going out of business, every item must go†. Noah’s relationship with his family also reflects that of Richler’s. His grandfather was a Hassid from Europe who could not accept the  new traditions of Canadian Jews, and thus ruled his family with an iron fist to keep them from veering off the path of Jewish morality. Not everything in the book works perfectly. Noah’s delinquent uncle Shloime, who joins the army does not follow with the description we were first presented with of him. The end of the book is oddly sentimental for a novel that has been occupied with ironical disorder. â€Å"Son of A Smaller Hero† is a unique accomplishment for a writer that thought to be perverse in thought. It’s humor and sadness are intertwined just enough to make this novel a one of a kind. I believe that no other can match Richler’s unique style of writing. â€Å"Son Of A Smaller Hero†, is an example of Canadian literature at it’s best. It is the kind of work that makes a nation proud to describe themselves as Canadians.

Nano Robots Essay

ABSTRACT: Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the microscopic scale of a nanometer (10−9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the still largely hypothetical nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, devices ranging in size from 0.1-10 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. As no artificial non-biological Nanorobots have yet been created, they remain a hypothetical concept. The names nanobots, nanoids, nanites or nanomites have also been used to describe these hypothetical devices. INTRODUCTION: There are pressing needs in biological research today: the cost of getting new drugs to market is estimated to be 1$ billion by 2015, time to market has increased and failure rates remain shockingly high. Illnesses such as cancer,neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular diseases continue to ravage people around the world. The broad field of nanomedicine seeks to address many of these needs in biology, creating the not so quite as broad discipline of nanobiotechnology. In the last decade, progress in developing nano sized hybrid therapeutics and drug delivery systems has been remarkable. These nanoscale and often multicomponent constructs can be seen as the first nanomedicines, already bringing clinical benefits. A good flow of related technologies is also in development. But are these ‘Nanomedicines’ really new? The educated answer is ‘not really’. The concepts of antibody-conjugates, liposomes and polymer-conjugates stem from the 1970s. At first, they were seen as competing technologies; only one would emerge as a ‘magic bullet’ for all drugtargeting applications. But each has advantages and disadvantages. Antibodies have exquisite potential for selective targeting but, even as humanized proteins, can be immunogenic. Liposomes have high drug-carrying capacity, but can either release drug too quickly or entrap it too strongly and are prone to capture by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), even when polymer coated. Similarly, it is  hard to steer nanoparticles away from the RES after intravenous injection. The ideal delivery system often merges benefits of two or more technologies. As we mark the birth of nanomedicine, it is worth reflecting on the revolution it could bring to healthcare. It is essential that benefits of genomics and proteomics research and advances in drug delivery, are quickly harnessed to realize improvements in diagnosis and therapy. Nanotechnology is already making a key contribution, but this is just the start. There are opportunities to design nanosized, bioresponsive systems able to diagnose and then deliver drugs (theranostics), and systems able to promote tissue regeneration and repair (in disease, trauma and ageing), circumventing chemotherapy. These ideas may seem like science fiction, but to dismiss them would be foolish. Risks and benefits must be addressed carefully to yield useful and safe technologies. An interdisciplinary approach will ensure that the exciting potential of nano medicine’s many facets will be a practical reality in the foreseeable future. The tightly-integrated interdisciplinary team of medical researchers, pharmaceutical scientists, physicists, chemists, and chemical engineers, has an extensive range of expertise to facilitate research on nanomedicine.The long term goal is the development of novel and revolutionary bio molecular machine components that can be assembled and form multi-degree-offreedom nanodevices that will apply forces and manipulate objects in the nanoworld, transfer information from the nano to the macro world, and travel in the nanoenvironment. These machines are expected to be highly efficient, controllable, economical in mass production, and fully operational with minimal supervision. These ultraminiature robotic systems and nano-mechanical devices will be the biomolecular electro-mechanical hardware of future biomedical applications(IGERT). NANOROBOTS: WHAT ARE THEY? Nanorobots are theoretical microscopic devices measured on the scale of nanometers (1nm equals one millionth of 1 millimeter). When fully realized from the hypothetical stage, they would work at the atomic, molecular and cellular level to perform tasks in both the medical and industrial fields that have heretofore been the stuff of science fiction. Nanomedicine’s nanorobots are so tiny that they can easily traverse the human body.  Scientists report the exterior of a nanorobot will likely be constructed of carbon atoms in a diamondoid structure because of its inert properties and strength. Super-smooth surfaces will lessen the likelihood of triggering the body’s immune system, allowing the nanorobots to go about their business unimpeded. Glucose or natural body sugars and oxygen might be a source for propulsion and the nanorobot will have other biochemical or molecular parts depending on its task. Nanomachines are largely in the researchand-development phase [1], but some primitive molecular machines have been tested. An example is a sensor having a switch approximately . DISADVANTAGES †¢ The initial design cost is very high. †¢ The design of the nanorobot is a very complicated one. †¢ Electrical systems can create stray fields which may activate bioelectric-based molecular recognition systems in biology. †¢ Electrical nanorobots are susceptible to electrical interference from external sources such as rf or electric fields, EMP pulses, and stray fields from other in vivo electrical devices. †¢ Hard to Interface, Customize and Design, Complex †¢ Nanorobots can cause a brutal risk in the field of terrorism. The terrorism and anti groups can make use of nanorobots as a new form of torturing the communities as nanotechnology also has the capability of destructing the human body at the molecular level. †¢ Privacy is the other potential risk involved with Nanorobots. As Nanorobots deals with the designing of compact and minute devices, there are chances for more eavesdropping than that already exists. Nanotechnology as a diagnostic and treatment tool for patients with cancer and diabetes showed how actual developments in new manufacturing technologies are enabling innovative works which may help in constructing and employing nanorobots most effectively for biomedical problems. Nanorobots applied to medicine hold a wealth of promise from eradicating disease to reversing the aging process (wrinkles, loss of bone mass and age-related conditions are all treatable at the cellular level); nanorobots are also candidates for industrial applications. They will provide personalised treatments with improved efficacy and reduced side  effects that are not available today. They will provide combined action– drugs marketed with diagnostics, imaging agents acting as drugs, surgery with instant diagnostic feedback. The advent of molecular nanotechnology will again expand enormously the effectiveness, comfort and speed of future medical treatments while at the same time significantly reducing their risk, cost, and invasiveness. This science might sound like a fiction now, but Nanorobotics has strong potential to revolutionize healthcare, to treat disease in future. It opens up new ways for vast, abundant research work. Nanotechnology will change health care and human life more profoundly than other developments.Consequently they will change the shape of the industry, broadening the product development and marketing interactions between Pharma, Biotech, Diagnostic and Healthcare industries. Future healthcare will make use of sensitive new diagnostics for an improved personal risk assessment. Highest impact can be expected if those major diseases are addressed first, which impose the highest burden on the aging population: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, musculoskeletal conditions, neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, diabetes, and viral infections. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences Nanomedicine holds the promise to lead to an earlier diagnosis, better therapy and improved follow up care, making the health care more effective and affordable. Nanomedicine will also allow a more personalised treatment for many diseases, exploiting the in-depth understanding of diseases on a molecular level. CONCLUSION: Nanotechnology as a diagnostic and treatment tool for patients with cancer and diabetes showed how actual developments in new manufacturing technologies are enabling innovative works which may help in constructing and employing nanorobots most effectively for biomedical problems. Nanorobots applied to medicine hold a wealth of promise from eradicating disease to reversing the aging process (wrinkles, loss of bone mass and age-related conditions are all treatable at the cellular level); nanorobots are also candidates for industrial applications. They will provide personalised treatments with improved efficacy and reduced side effects that  are not available today. They will provide combined action – drugs marketed with diagnostics, imaging agents acting as drugs, surgery with instant diagnostic feedback. The advent of molecular nanotechnology will again expand enormously the effectiveness, comfort and speed of future medical treatments while at the same time significantly reducing theirrisk, cost, and invasiveness. This science might sound like a fiction now, but Nanorobotics has strong potential to revolutionize healthcare, to treat disease in future. It opens up new ways for vast, abundant research work. Nanotechnology will change health care and human life more profoundly han other developments. Consequently they will change the shape of the industry, broadening the product development and marketing interactions between Pharma, Biotech, Diagnostic and Healthcare industries. Future healthcare will make use of sensitive new diagnostics for an improved personal risk assessment.

Context of Women in the 19th Century Essay

During the reign of Queen Victoria, a woman’s place was in the home, as domesticity and motherhood were considered by society at large to be a sufficient emotional fulfilment for females. These constructs kept women far away from the public sphere in most ways, but during the 19th century charitable missions did begin to extend the female role of service, and Victorian feminism emerged as a potent political force. The transformation of Britain into an industrial nation had profound consequences for the ways in which women were to be idealised in Victorian times. New kinds of work and new kinds of urban living prompted a change in the ways in which appropriate male and female roles were perceived. In particular, the notion of separate spheres – woman in the private sphere of the home and hearth, man in the public sphere of business, politics and sociability – came to influence the choices and experiences of all women, at home, at work, in the streets. As John Burgon pointed out in 1884, â€Å"Women’s strength lies in her essential weakness† (Burstyn 1980: 33), according to him, women are said to be men’s conscience and their strength is pureness in spirit. Inevitably, men’s and women’s tasks are likewise clearly distinguished. A man is expected to earn money, make it available to his wife, mother, daughters and sisters. Women’s tasks on the other hand, are overseeing the education and care of their children, shopping, organizing the household and by providing tranquility in a peaceful and comfortable home. A woman’s work is performed inside the sheltering house: it is spiritual and educational as it consists of teaching good virtues and moral values through her tenderness – the woman is to be the â€Å"moral guardian of society† (Burstyn 1980: 99) A women in the Victorian age who does not have to work is a status symbol for husband and family. The more well-off a family and the greater its economic success are deciding factors in how much leisure a woman can afford. Working middle-class women who had to make their own living came from socially deprived families and were treated with contempt. Excluded from the financial world, women depend completely on men. The denial of women being capable of experiencing passion and of having the natural ability to learn and to be suitable for a higher education leads to a general captivity of women, that many do not realize at all. Grace Pool in ‘Jane Eyre’ hardly ever leaves the attic, and both Adele and Georgiana are only concerned with their beauty and luxury. Helen Burns endures constant submission and takes refuge in religion. Other women, however, revolt against this assumption – not without result. As a women longing for fulfillment, Jane Eyre finds herself in captivity, imposed upon by society. This idea is symbolised through the red-room scene. Faced with her aunt’s degradation and injustice, Jane’s situation is best portrayed in this scene. As an unjust punishment Jane is locked up in a mysterious room and bound with a pair of female garters that symbolise her fate – one that women in Victorian England often face: ignorance, passivity, reserve, submission and stillness. Women are given no space for self opinion or free development of their own personality. â€Å"It’s only on condition of perfect submission and stillness that I shall liberate you,† Aunt Reed warns her (Bronte 2005: 16), but Jane can neither stand submission nor â€Å"endure patiently† (Bronte 2005: 67). Jane’s strong will to fight is symbolised by the â€Å"hot fire† (Bronte 2005: 503) inside her. â€Å"Suffer and be still† (Vicinus 1972) becomes a guiding principle of feminists who revolt and bring into conscience the doctrine of their society. That Jane cannot identify herself with the traditional ideal of women proves her utterance: â€Å"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; [†¦] they suffer [†¦] precisely as men would suffer† (Bronte 2005: 141). While more and more women become conscious of their situation and slowly start to take action, other circumstances accelerate the progress towards equality of men and women in English society when the â€Å"woman question† comes up. To understand the social situation in which ‘Jane Eyre’ is set and why Jane is such an extraordinary and revolutionizing character, one needs to briefly examine how society is constructed at that time.

Hospital Atmosphere and a Noble Profession Essay

Hospital Atmosphere and a Noble Profession - Essay Example I had always developed an impression that hospitals and patients would do better with more readily available service. Hospitals are perpetually short of hands and either fewer nurses are available, or hospitals are not employing enough of them. Many times I have noticed that patients are more in need of constant help, whereas hospitals are unable to provide such help. This usually ends in patient dissatisfaction and deprival. While being hospitalized, people need more individual attention, constant companionship and staff presence. It is very important for me to get admission into nursing, as I cannot compromise with another career easily. I do not like to take up a career for which I do not feel a positive response. I would like to do the work that motivates me. And till now, hospital work is the only work in which I am sure, that I will find fulfilment. Hospital atmosphere inspires me to be kind and helpful to fellow human beings who are, at that moment, in need of help. It could b e due to the right vibes I received from my mother’s routine work in the hospital, or could be my own mental make-up; I always thought that nursing is a noble profession and never changed my mind on that ideal. It is imperative for me to find the right career at this juncture of my life so that I could proceed about my future in a systematic way and avoid confusion about the chosen goal. I would like to impress that I am passionate about this work and hope to have a long and fulfilling career in it.

Walmart VS. Target Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Walmart VS. Target - Research Paper Example An ancient business analyst, Fernandez, in his publication once depicted that business and humankind are inseparable (98). This shows that the success of business entities and that of humankind are dependant of each other. With the increasing need to sustain human need, numerous business entities have been put in place. The quality and manner of delivery of the products determine the success the organizations realize. It is arguable that human needs are better satisfied when there is free entry and exit into the market. This increases competition, lowering the product’s prices and ensuring better services and service delivery (Chapman 15). In the competition of big box retailers, it is hard for two different firms such as Wal-Mart and Target to achieve the same kind of success in their operation. The first factor that makes Wal Mart to be rated above target is that Wal-Mart provides locally grown products, products that provide energy efficiently, and policies of innovative internal recycling (Kipple, et. al. 174). This has made the company dominate in the market. However, it does not have fair policies for its workers and the wage rate hourly of $10.76 is arguably not impressive. The number of employees at Wal-Mart is around 2.1 million. This proves that the progress of the company is very evident (Murphy 57). Further, the company has expanded to 15 countries with 8,100 retail units. This means that the firm has won a bigger market share than Target. The average revenue recorded by the firm totals $405.6 billion annually. The annual revenue is the commonly used determinant of the company’s success. This means that the firm is successful. From Schwartz Ariel’s article, Sustainability Faceoff: Walmart vs. Target, the number of employees in Target is approximatel y 351,000, which is relatively lower than Wal-Mart. In the entire United States, the firm has initiated stores in 48 states, bringing the retail units to 1,684 stores. This

Territorial Disagreements between the Jewish People and the Research Paper

Territorial Disagreements between the Jewish People and the Palestinian Arabs - Research Paper Example According to this Declaration, the British government supported the Zionist movement which demanded territory in Palestine exclusively for the Jews. This territory would provide all the legal and civil rights to the Jews. With the Balfour Declaration, the British government established a national home for the Jews without violating the rights of the existing non-Jews in Palestine or the rights of the Jews in any other country (Gelvin, 2005). Both the communities asserted their legal claim on Palestine. While the Jews demanded that they have historical rights over the territory, the Arabs have claimed that they have inhabited Palestine for many centuries (Khater, 2010, p.143). It is only political stubbornness that is causing hindrance to peace between the Israelis and the Arabs. There has been already a proposal that dictates that the two sides should accept the division of the territory into two states. This proposal has been advocated globally, and even by the majority of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians. It now remains that the leaders on both sides come to a common agreement. Even though proposals from both sides are very close, still the current Israeli Prime Minister shows no sign of relent claiming that the conflict cannot be solved (Hill, 2012). As another possible solution there can be a one-state solution by which Jews and Arabs will stay together with common political and social rights. However, seeing the murderous hatred between them even this cannot be a viable solution as this can only probably cause another holocaust. The impact of World War I can be long-lasting in the Middle Eastern region.  

Hall of frame for president of us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hall of frame for president of us - Essay Example He is recognized for his efforts in making the country the world’s superpower during the war. He also had a vision of protecting the county’s citizens from the effects of the great depression. His legislation that guided the country through the great depression makes him a good leader (Stadelmann, 2009). Theodore Roosevelt was a great president who used his influence to the citizens to accept his ideologies. His influential ability helped him to get legislation passed in the congress (Stadelmann, 2009). He was the first president to use his influence to drive his foreign policies with other countries, and this ensured good international relations with them. William Jefferson Clinton is another great US president who is admired for his ability to handle crisis and scandals. He managed scandals effectively without letting them interfere with his leadership. I also like President Ronald Reagan due to his great communication skills; he would influence the public through his speeches and inspire the public through his messages (Bolno, n.d). President John Fitzgerald Kennedy is one of the best influential leaders that I have always admired. He is presumed to have had some leadership attributes from his father who had served as an ambassador in 1937 to 1940. He is renowned for his leadership styles, which the subsequent presidents of the United States have tried to emulate over the years. John Kennedy is best favorable president due to his leadership attributes were exhibited throughout his life. His first attribute as a great leader is charisma. This is due to his ability to inspire people through his practical choice of words. His messages motivated people to accept his leadership policies. He chose very wise words to manage crisis by demonstrating an ability to handle delicate situations amicably. The second attribute that I like about him was his visionary leadership. Kennedy was seen as a visionary leader who shared his vision and goals of the count ry with all citizens through his speeches (Colvin, 2008). This attribute creates an understanding that the future of a country depends on the leaders’ vision. As a visionary leader, he was able to show the direction which he wanted to lead the country. Hence, through this, he received great credibility and support from many people. The third admirable leadership attribute of President Kennedy was that he was able to delegate (Hald, 2007). A leader needs to delegate some powers to his subordinates who should share the same ideologies so that he can ensure that objectives are met in time. In addition, Kennedy’s administration was made up of learned scholars who were competent to take up roles. Hence, Kennedy easily delegated his authority to some of his cabinet while still exercising his control powers. This was seen by his appointment of Dean Rusk as his secretary of state (Hald, 2007). The fourth attribute of Kennedy that I like is that of inspirational leadership, a l eader should inspire his followers towards excellence (Colvin, 2008). Moreover, President Kennedy inspired other people to excel in the duties that they were assigned to, and offered support towards achieving such goals. Therefore, this encouraged teamwork and unity because people felt as part of his government. Lastly, I admire the courage that President Kennedy portrayed especially in dealing with serious issues. Since he had previously served as in the navy, Kennedy was seen to be courageous when dealing

Arcor Case Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Arcor Case Analysis - Term Paper Example The company was founded in the year 1951, producing a wide range of products ranging from confectioneries to personal hygiene products and also frozen goods. At present the company operates in over 120 countries worldwide and Arcor was also ranked 14th amongst the top 100 candy companies at US in the year 2009 with a revenue of US $ 2.2 billion. The company provides high quality products and on the other hand to reduce the cost of the product Arcor vertically integrated the packaging system into their system. In the year the company was nominated as the ‘best company’ in Argentina from the chamber of commerce of US. This award recognizes the company who includes management sustainability in their corporate practices. The Company also encourages in promotion of education at Argentina and Brazil. This social responsibility is aimed to minimize the problems arising at workplace and the impacts of environment at the manufacturing plants (Innovalatino, 2010). Situation analys is SWOT Analysis The growth of the company and sustainable survival in the industry the SWOT analysis is conducted by the company. It helps the company to understand the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company identification of which can assist in the implementation of strategies according to the needs of development. Strength Arcor has a great brand name at Argentina. The company’s huge percentage in the domestic market share with around 54% in the candy and 33% at chocolate market gave the company immense popularity in the international market due to its strong base. International acquisition strategy of Arcor with small third party to reduce its price to the end user along with the vertical integration structure for manufacturing of different ingredients facilitates the process of reducing price for the company. This is the major strength of the company which keeps the price low for the firm without affecting the quality of the product. Weaknesses Th e production plants of the company are all located in domestic country thus distribution of the company is a very important aspect to look after by the company. Proper training of the distribution channel and salesperson are required by the company failing to which might create problem for the company to reach to the customers in foreign countries. Building own distribution system can help the company to cope with this problem. Opportunity New product line from the company with over 50 new candy compared to 10 from each competitor can create a huge potential for the company in developing countries where the demand for candies are growing in recent years. Demand for chocolate and confectionery are also increasing which can be a great opportunity for the firm to launch new products in this category (Ghemawt, Rukstad, Illes, 2009, p. 5). Threats Financial crisis and economical slowdown is one of the major threats for the company. While entering into new market the political factor is a lso a possible threat as change in policies of the government can increase the tax on import and export duties which might force the company to increase price for the products, thus loosing the title of being the cost leader in the market. Competitive analysis To get an extra edge in the competitive environment Arcor should analyze the external environment of the firm and understand the threats from different dimensions like new entrants, suppliers,

Theatre Critique It's Only a Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theatre Critique It's Only a Play - Essay Example The comedy play was a celebration of the art and actors performed with lot of conviction. The play was a cascade of jokes and made the audience happy from the beginning to the end, which is a sign of victory. 2.The performer â€Å"Kate Herell who acted as virginia† seems to not have delivered her lines completely at times so did not come up to the mark. The performance of â€Å"Craig as Ira† was well defined and the gestures were perfect indeed.He came up to the mark and left a remarkable impression on the audience. â€Å"Emma† was a star that performed utterly well and carried the play with ample spirit .She showed her full potential to the audience and was the shooting star of the play. Christopher who enacted â€Å"Peter† was looked slightly uncomfortable in his character and required more attentiveness and dedication from his side to make his character look wholesome and rich. Nick Dickert was distinct in his acting and did full justice to his characte r as â€Å"James† but his voice was trembling at certain points. 3. The performers who were disliked were Kate Herell, Christopher Lynch and Ryan Flint.Kate Was not impressive as she was not consistent with her dialogues. There was less of life in her voice and could not enter well in to the character of â€Å"Virginia† which she was potrayed.Whereas, Christopher Lynch was not feeling fully the character of â€Å" Peter† and some how looked less lively and vibrant. It is very essential for an actor to get in to the shoes of the character to bring about full life in to the play. On the other side Ryan Flint had a less powerful voice which made his character of â€Å"Frank† dull. Dialogues are an essential part of a play, so if it is not balanced with the acting skill can bring in chaos and incompleteness to the character as well as the play. 4. The play all in all was an average performance and did not fail to amaze the audience. But it was unfortunate to notice some actors not supporting others and making it a t time’s poor performance. In some areas â€Å"Christopher Lynch† was not interacting well with â€Å"Kate Herell† and was in a hurry to completer his part of the dialogue. And also Kate seems to rush through some parts showing that she had forgotten certain lines. Noah Mittman, at other times is displaying to be very overpowering, thus making all actors less confident and assertive. It is not good for one actor to stand out in a play because a good play is where all characters blend with each other to produce a smooth and sound theatrical show. Craig Ewing in some of the scenes was attempting to be the one man of the show by giving dialogues loud. DIRECTING 5. The unified idea of the director behind this play is to create a play which is a complete comedy in nature and which will keep the audience laugh all the while they are wathcing.The entire cast of the show was also doing the same by being extremely joyous and filled with humor sense. The director made a striking visual image with the cab driver who was played by Emma as she was costumed distinctly and apart from other actors of the play. Even Julia and Virginia played by â€Å"Ilasiea Gray†and Kate Herell respectively were dressed glamorously and colorfully which was a visual treat. The lighting of the play was striking and bright which added to the whole theme of the play. SCENERY 6. The whole background of the play was the room where all the characters were waiting for the review of their acting. The room had light colored wall and a

COHI Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

COHI - Term Paper Example The objective of this essay is to illustrate how mediated communication impacts one’s life for the better, for the worse, or perhaps both ways. The discourse would initially define relevant terms to be used within the paper like communication, mediated and unmediated communication, prior to delving into determining the force of media on interaction and social life. The experiences of one’s daily life as poignant examples of the far reaching influence of mediated communication would be used through the essay, as required. Definition of Terms Martires defines communication as a process which aims to transfer and implement the meaning of symbols from one person, group or organization to another (79). The ultimate goal of communication is the sharing of meaning. Andersen considers it as â€Å"a dynamic process in which man consciously or unconsciously affects the cognition of another through materials or agencies used in symbolic ways† (5). Likewise, Delaune and Ladn er defined the term as the â€Å"process of transmitting thoughts, feelings, facts, and other information† (483) through verbal or non-verbal means. All definitions attest that communication is a process where symbols and meanings are relayed from the sender to recipients with the use of a defined medium. Mediated communication is clearly defined as â€Å"communication that involves a process by which a message, or communication, is transmitted via some form or medium† (Pavlik and McIntosh, 70). The authors expounded by detailing that â€Å"anything that you directly encounter during your waking hours such as talking to your friends, listening to a lecture, smelling food from the cafeteria, feeling rain on your skin is unmediated communication, although the information value of these experiences varies.   Mediated communication also creates a greater chance for misinterpretation by the receiver.   Mediated communication is all around us.  Web logs, or blogs, off er a unique channel for developing and maintaining relationships between organizations and publics† (ibid.). Likewise, Fernando differentiated mediated from unmediated communication by stressing that â€Å"mediated communication transpires when the parties to the communication are not present in space in relation to each other in a manner that enables them to apprehend each other through the use of their senses. Examples of mediated communication include letters, telephone calls and emails† (Fernando, pars. 19 – 20). Thereby, unmediated communication was defined as â€Å"unmediated communication transpires when the parties to the communication are present in space in relation to each other in a manner that enables them to apprehend each other through the use of all of their senses. Examples of unmediated communication include face-to-face conversations, meetings in a room† (Fernando, 16 – 17), among others. Mediated Communication in Personal Life In contemporary times, the impact of technology, specifically through the use of the Internet and mobile phones has significantly changed levels and extent of communication to various parties. The Internet is personally regarded as a medium for social activity and as a means for self-expression. The young generation, particularly utilize the Internet to interact with others for various reasons: to get information, to communicate with friends, to search for old acquaintances, to form new alliances, to establish social relations, to build bridges instead of walls. Further, the Internet

Equus Reading Response Essay Example for Free

Equus Reading Response Essay Shaffer’s play Equus is about Alan Strang and his perception on horses. Alan is currently being treated by a Martin Dysart, his psychiatrist, for blinding six horses. His psychiatrist tries to get Alan to explain what was going on and he eventually begins to open up. When Alan was a child, his mother was a Christian who read the bible to him every day. One day, his father destroyed a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus and Alan decided to replace it with a picture of a horse. During Alan’s childhood, he grew an attraction towards horses from cowboy movies, his mother’s stories, and his grandfather’s love for horses. Later in the play, Alan gets a job at a stable and meets Jill Mason. Jill convinces Alan to have sex with the horses because of his attraction. In order to have sex with the horses, Alan stabs the horse’s eyes because he believed that they were Gods. He did not want the horses to see the sin he was about to commit to them. Alan’s early childhood affected the way Alan thought about horses greatly. The picture of Jesus that was replaced confused him and he replaced Jesus with horses in his head. When his mother would tell him stories from the bible, Alan had images of horses instead of images of Jesus. When he has sex with the horses, he stabs them in the eye because he believes that they are Gods. He did not want the Gods to see what he was about to do to them.

Conan Doyle detective fiction Essay Example for Free

Conan Doyle detective fiction Essay Some people say that one of the reasons they enjoy reading crime stories like Sherlock Holmes is that order is always restored, good always triumphs over evil. Crime fiction is popular still today because there are many programmes on T. V today i. e. A Touch of Frost, Taggart, and Wire in the Blood. It is also in books like the novels of Ian Paterson. The genre is so popular because people enjoy it and there is an atmosphere of expectation in most stories. Conan Doyle was popular with the Victorian audience because the criminals always got caught, and his stories were published in a magazine read in a parlour or on a train journey. The basic structure of a crime story is that at the beginning there is order and all is well. Soon, however something happens usually a crime to disrupt that order. Then the detective investigates and solves the case. Finally order is restored again as good has defeated evil. This structure is evident in The Man with the Twisted Lip. For example it begins orderly at the beginning of the story as we read about Dr Watson and his wife in the sitting room just before the hour that a man goes to bed. His wife is knitting and Dr Watson sat in his chair. Then the order is disrupted when the doorbell rings and one of Dr Watsons patients Kate Whitney is at the door and she tells whats up. Dr Watson then goes to find Kate Whitneys husband and whilst there, finds Sherlock Holmes in the Opium den. The crime Sherlock Holmes has to investigate is the apparent murder of Neville St Clair. He solves the case by realising that Neville St Clair is in disguise as Hugh Boone. Finally order has been restored because Holmes gets to Neville St Clair and undisguises him as evil is defeated. Conan Doyle uses all the right ingredients and description to his villains which strikes fear into any reader. Dr Roylott is a perfect example of this. Conan Doyle describes him as So tall was he that his hat actually brushed the cross-bar of the doorway, and his breadth seemed to span it across from side to side. A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with evil passion, was turned from one to the other of us, while his deep-set, bile-shot eyes, and the high thin fleshless nose, gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey. This shows the sheer size and fierce looks that he has. I am a dangerous man to fall foul of! See here He stepped swiftly, seized the poker, and bent it into a curve with his huge brown hands. This shows how strong Dr Roylott is and to warn Sherlock Holmes off because other people fear him. In The Speckled Band Conan Doyle describes how aggressive, violent and Greedy Dr Roylott and that he uses his knowledge of medicine for evil doings. Jim Browner is another Conan Doyle that is very well described. His aggression, jealousy and uncontrollable rage are shown here. I swore to my wife that I would kill her if I found her under in his company again, and I led her back with me, sobbing and trembling and as white as a piece of paper. His cunning ways are shown here I had a heavy oak stick in my hand, and I telly you I saw red from the first; but as I ran I got cunning and hung back a little to see them without being seen. His violence and vengeance is shown here Crushed his head like an egg. I would have spared her, perhaps, for all my madness, but she threw her arms around him crying out to him I was like a wild beast that had tasted blood. This also shows there is no stopping him and that he gives no mercy. Conan Doyle carefully describes his settings to create tension and suspense. An example in The Man with the Twisted Lip Conan Doyle describes the opium den internally and externally to brilliant effect. The modern reader knows this is a place where sinister events happen, a black gap like the mouth of a cave Out of the black shadows there glimmered little red circles of light. The Victorian reader very familiar with the atmosphere in London and would be gripped by Watsons struggle to see and all the detail that Conan Doyle describes the Opium Den with. Sir Conan Doyle uses great language to create a tense atmosphere in The Speckled Band. In section where Helen Stoner relays what happened on the night her sister mysteriously died, he uses the story within the story to great effect. Firstly an atmosphere of foreboding is created as the weather is described The wind was howling, animal imagery which creates the effect that there is a wild beast outside. The rain was beating and splashing against the window which is describing the weather to create atmosphere of foreboding and uses words like beating to show violent imagery. Conan Doyle uses sentence structures effectively to create different atmospheres. He uses short sentences to create drama and also short sharp sentences followed by an exclamation mark to create a scary and tense atmosphere. For example in The Speckled Band when Julia shouts Oh my God! Helen! It was the band! Another example of a short sentence is when Helen says I knew that it was my sisters voice. Conan Doyle is very successful in writing detective fiction that appeals to a modern reader because he uses all the right ingredients and structure. Conan Doyle uses very interesting characters and evil villains, which makes the readers addicted to his detective fiction stories. He uses different types of language and sentence structure, which is very appealing to the readers.

A Critical Analysis Of The Oslo Peace Accord Politics Essay

A Critical Analysis Of The Oslo Peace Accord Politics Essay Account for the success and the failure of the Oslo peace accord. This essay will discuss the ongoing attempts of getting a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel. The essay will also examine the 1993 Oslo Accords that started the peace process. It will also highlight a brief history of the two nations involved, that brought about the signing the historic Oslo Accords. Also, get some finding after the signing, whether it has encountered any obstacles on its way, and finally made an account of it success and failure. The Palestinians did not feel comfortable, after the Six Day War in 1967, they had planned to crush Israel with the help other armies from Jordan, Egypt, etc. The plan did not work and only did the Palestinians loss the war but it was more than a war. The West Bank and Gaza Strip was now under control of Israel. The creation of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) came in earlier years, under the leadership of Yasir Arafat their motive was political and a paramilitary organisation of Palestinian Arabs. It dedicated to establishing independent for the Palestinians state, around the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and by so doing, their intention was to replace Israel. Some groups within the organisation have not been in agreement with the redefinition of it mandate not to conquer only the Gaza Strip and West Bank but also Israel. Nevertheless, despite the numerous changes in government that has taken place in the 1980s and the 1990s in Israel, all with different political agenda and ideologies, they all seen to be sinking for peace for national development. However, The Labor government elected in July 1992 froze new construction in the West Bank including many of the units that Sharons office had in the pipeline. The Likud government that returned to power in 1996 thawed freeze, but with the comeback to power of Labor in June 1999 and the resumption of the peace talk with the Palestinians, construction for Israelis in the West Bank was no longer a government priority. (Alterman, 2002). In 1992 when the Israels election campaign was at its pick, Terje Larsen, a Norwegian sociologist and the head of an Oslo-based institute of Applied Social Sciences, known as FAFO in Norwegian acronym, Terje was also the main architects of the Oslo agreement. Larsen met with Yossi Beilin who was a member of the opposition Labor in the Israeli Knesset. Both men met and voiced out their doubt if whether the progress could be made in Washington talks on peace between the Israel and Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza. (BEILIN, 1999). Beilin was to belief Larsen about the having direct talks between the PLO and Israel will be necessary for any peace, therefore suggested that he talk to Yair Hirschfeld, a senior lecturer on Middle East affairs at university of Haifa. Hirschfeld had express interest in the economic and social-political aspect of the conflict that Larsen was exploring. Larsen on the other was of the believed that, there was the need for the Israeli has to talk to the PLO. However, Israel law banned contact with the PLO officials. Nevertheless, due to the ban, there was the need to fine another means and therefore Larsen suggested a creation of backchannel all the parties involve, including Faisal Husseini of East Jerusalem a prominent member of the PLO. However Husseini was involve in the Washington negotiations because the Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir due to him been a resident of East Jerusalem and his participation will amount to any Israeli concession in the near future of the status of Israels capital. After all the negotiations, limitation and the discussion the 13 September 1993-the day the Declaration of Palestinians (DOP), was sign at the South Lawn of the White House with the US President Bill Clinton as the master of the ceremony, hosting the representatives of the states of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation(PLO). The signing sealed with a historic handshake between the Israeli and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) chairman Yasir Arafat, it became one of the momentous events of the twentieth-century history of the Middle East. The two leaders redrew a geopolitical map of the whole region. Although the DOP was signed in Washington under the direction of the UN president, all the background woks, negotiation has been in Oslo and initialled the Oslo Accord in late August. Therefore, a more propitiate name than naming it the Washington Accord. The accord itself was in two parts, the first was a mutual recognition betwe en the Israel and the PLO, and it took a form of simple letters, on plain paper with no letterheads, dated on the 9 and 10 September sign by the two leaders. The second part was the Declaration of Principles on the Interim Self-Government Arrangements, in the occupied territories. The Oslo Accord was not a peace deal but a peace process. Under the DOP arrangement there were set of agreement that both parties needed to for fill in the order to come to a peace accord, (Shlaim, 1994). The demands (Palestinians) Independent Palestinians states, states the Palestinians can call their own, Palestinians also wanted lands Israel took in the 6 days war. The Palestinians also wanted Jerusalem as the capital. Return of Palestinians Refugees and the removal of all Jewish Settlements. The Palestinians demands were threat to Israel but there was need for Israel to accept them. However, before all this demand to meet there needed to be true scenes of trust between the two leaders and the Oslo Accord was design for that. Israel commitments: Israeli agreed to accept the PLO not as a terrorist organisation but as legal body under the new name of Palestinian Authority (P.A), it also was ready to transfer lands to the PA. Israelis were committed to educating its people for peace and prepares them for the Palestinians next door. The creation of a P.A. police force of up 10,000, with no provision for terrorist and the Israelis were to supply arms to the P.A. to police their own people and to destroy terror. (Makovssky, 1996). For peace to become successful, the P.L.O was to give some commitment too, and some of the commitments made were: To end all kind of terror activities, they also agreed to recognise Israels right to exist by amending the P.L.O national charter, which call for the destruction of all of Israel. The P.A. made a commitment to destroy all terror groups and size all weapons and to protect all Jewish Holy sites that falls under the PA control, all feature negotiation will be by diplomacy and never again, to go back to terror and it final commitment was to educate for peace. However, Israels commitment to Oslo was so great that it began to talk peace all over, in all levels in schools and it was ready to deal with anyone who will disagree to perching peace. Despite all the effort for peace not all Israelis were convinced, and there were shock when terror came in 1995 when Jewish militant assassinated Yitzhak Rabin. Nevertheless, the success of the Israeli support for peace education was seen as 28% were in support of creating a Palestinians states before Oslo because of security threat, and in the years following Oslo, it went up 51%. Israel had met part of its commitment in Oslo agreement. However, there were still acts of terror from the side of the Palestinians and more than the years before Oslo. The P.A. did not violate it main commitment of ending terror, but all of the commitment made at the signing since the terror groups like Hamas were still operate under the watchful eyes of the P.A. The Holy Site was not protected by the Palestinians received land but Israel did not receive peace. There are no clear words of success to the Oslo Accord, only that Israel was committed to the accord by complying with its parts of the commitment made, moreover, on the other hand of the accord the Palestinians were probably not ready for peace and so did not comply with the commitment it made. However, there are more to say on its failure than one can image, according to Pundak in a 2001 publication by the Institute of Strategic Studies. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Netanyahu sabotaged the peace process relentlessly, and made every effort to de-legitimise his Palestinian partners. His main weapon in his campaign against the Palestinians was the mantra that the Palestinians were not fulfilling its part of the agreements; and therefore Israel would not implement its part. In truth, during Netanyahus government, both sides committed breaches with regard to the agreement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But the Israeli breaches were more numerous and more substantive in nature. The goals between the two states involve were incompatible with each other existence as few people to lived in peace. A peace agreement out of the balance meant failure was investable.

Capital Punishment Essays - Benefits of the Death Penalty :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Capital Punishment Essays - Benefits of the Death Penalty    In the eighteenth century,England would punish by death for pickpocketing and petty theft. Ever since the 1650's colonist could be put to death for denying the true god or cursing their parents advocates. Capital Punishment have clashed almost continuously in the forum of public opinion in state legislatures and most recently in courts. In 1972,the case of furman vs.Georgia reached the supreme court. The court decided that punishment by death did indeed violate the eighth amendment to containing that "excessive fines imposed,nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." By this decision death sentences all over the country were set aside. The three most common death penalties are the gas chamber,lethal injection,and the electric chair. Capital punishment has become an increasingly controversial issue over many decades. The problem lies between, is the death penalty being accepted in murder cases or ruled out completely. While some people feel that Capital Punishment will not discourage crime, Capital punishment should be legalized in all states, because it is morally just and it will deter crime.    The many opponents of capital punishment who are against it feel that the death penalty is not a deterrent and that it is barbariaertic of the past. It has no place in a civilized society today. One of the biggest arguments against capital punishment is people feel that it violates the eighth amendment which forbids cruel and unusual punishment. People against Capital Punishment believe the death penalty is absurd and is in un-christian practice. Further more, they feel society should not" encourage sentiments of vengenance cater to morbid interest in ritual execution." Criminologists also built a strong case that the threat of death failed to deter murder, anymore effectively than prison. Therefore, to inflict harm to one,it is simply useless.    However, the punishment fits the crime therefore, it is morally just. Capital punishment is an expression of society's moral outrage at offensive conduct. This may be appealing to many but it is essential in an ordered society. It asks our citizens to rely on legal procedures rather than to self-help their wrongs doings. It is morally right to sentence a person to the death penalty who has commited a serious crime as murder. If someone has murdered a person it is unethical to let the murderer live when you have an innocent person who is dead. Capital Punishment has to be based entirely on consideration of justice and morality.    Finally, the death penalty is a deterrent against crimes. Statistics show that the crime rate is reduced in all states that hold the death penalty.

Ronald Reagan Essay -- essays research papers

Ronald Reagan had a very successful life. He was the 40th president of the United States (1981-1989). He was an actor for 30 years before he became involved with politics and starred in more than 50 movies. Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reagan was raised by his traveling shoe salesman father John Reagan, and his mother Nelle. John was an alcoholic and was saved from the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration. Reagan was strongly influenced by his mother, who taught him to read at an early age.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After High School, Ronald Reagan won a Scholarship to Eureka College in Peoria, Illinois. He was very active at Eureka. He majored in economics, student body president, captain of the swimming team, and was on the football team. He became interested in acting, but after his graduation in 1932 the only job available that was related to show biz was a local radio sportscaster. In 1936 he took the job as a sportscaster for WHO radio station in Des Moines, Iowa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reagan moved to Hollywood in 1937 and began a 30-year acting career. Some of his noted movies were Knute Rockne-All American, King's Row, and Bedtime for Bozo. During his acting career, Reagan was elected as the president of the Screen Actors Guild six times. He married Jane Wyman, had two children, but divorced her eight years later. He married Nancy Davis in 1952 and they had two more children. As president of the union, he tried to remove communists from the movie industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reagan's first national political scene was when he did a speech supporting Republican presidential candidate Senator Barry Goldwater. Even though Goldwater lost the election, he brought in money and praise from fellow Republicans around the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reagan decided to run for Governor of California in 1966 and defeated Edmund G. Brown, Sr., by nearly one million votes. His two terms as governor were tough because six of the eight years he served the legislature was controlled by Democrats, him being a Republican. As governor, Reagan became known as a conservative politician who wanted to restrict government involvement in economy and society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ronald Reagan made a last-minute effort to get the 1968 Republican presidenti... ...ent to Muslim guerillas fighting the communist government of Afghanistan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1982, in an effort to strengthen the Lebanon government, he sent marines to Lebanon. In October 1983, 250 marines were killed when their Beirut headquarters was bombed. Reagan removed his troops. Those remaining were often captured by Muslim radicals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1987 Kuwait asked for Soviet and U.S. aid during the Iran-Iraq war in the Persian Gulf. The last two years of Reagan's presidency were marred by a political scandal, which badly damaged his reputation as an honest person and committed to principle. The scandal was that the U.S. had secretly sold weapons to Iran and had diverted the profits from the sale to help the contras. Reagan denied the allegations. There was also said to be a law saying that the U.S. couldn't aid the contras. This revealed to be true and Reagan lost his image.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, Ronald Reagan was definitely one of our nations greatest presidents ever. He helped us in so many ways. I think if the media weren't so republican biased then more people would realize how great President Reagan really was.

Benito Juarez Essay -- essays research papers

Benito Juarez was one of the most prominent and resourceful leaders in Mexico’s history. He raised the standard of living and championed the poor. However, it took Juarez half his life to become such a dominant political figure. He was born in San Paulo Guelatao in the Mexican State of Oaxaca. His parents were Indians, and he was raised a shepherd boy. His parents died when he was three, leaving Benito to his unmarried uncle. His uncle believed that the only way for him to better his place in society was to become a priest. So, on December 18, 1818, Benito at the age of twelve ran away to the city to learn. He entered the city penniless, and didn’t even speak the language. He soon got a job helping a bookbinder, and attended a parish school. He soon left the school because of discrimination, and social class divisions. He worked, and was then able to enroll in the Holy Cross Seminary. Benito did not want to become a priest, but the free education kept him there. Then, at 22 he entered the Institute of Sciences and Arts, and he studies Physics, and then law. In 1831 he finished his studies, and went to work in a law office. That same year, at age 25 he was elected to the position of city alderman. Then, in 1833 he was elected to the Oaxaca State legislature. Next, in 1834 he became the attorney for the state. Governments changed, as was characteristic in Latin America, and he was thrown in jail. He then was released, and gained support of both Libe...

Eastern Religious Philosophy Quotes

The first quotation that I would like to discuss is Buddhism: Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha was a great figure because one day on a trip to the city, he discovered that many people with in the city were suffering. He wanted to know why people had suffered that way they did so he chose to leave his life of luxury, abandon his family and live in the woods as one of them for several years. When doing he so he came to the conclusion that suffering can be avoided. He explains that ignorance and selfishness causes suffering. Suffering is in part with Karma which means â€Å"action† or â€Å"deed†, karma reflects in the later life through the actions or deeds done right now. Quote: â€Å"All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain? † I like this quote because a person does have a choice to change their selfish ways, by understanding how it affects people, and how ignorance and selfishness can be locked away permanently through cleansing of the mind. Lao Tzu- â€Å"To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease. † He believed that even the wisest if humans is still ignorant, and this quote show some reflection on that thought process. Tzu was very interested in how we should live ad different ways that a good society is governed. The quote reminds us that we can always be open to learning and discovering even when we think we have mastered something! Another thing that I would like to add is that Tzu believed that all enduring change is brought by weakness and not by strength; by submission and not intervention. I feel that this means people bring about change on themselves. Selfishness and ignorance can blind us and we eventually have to submit to change. There were three great systems of thought dominate Chinese civilization: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The predominant system is the one founded by Confucius. He loved to learn and sought a better way and order of doing things. He believed that learning and knowledge must in a way be practical. Confucius – â€Å"What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others† Confucius taught that to establish one’s own humane character was important and could be done by following positive role models from the past. People can always better themselves through learning and servicing others. It makes sense that a man who believes these principles would quote such a simplistic, yet profound statement. I chose this quote because it makes a huge point. I feel that this quote is related to karma in a way. I say this because things that a person does to another, can be done right back to them now or in the future. Mencius â€Å"Seek and you will find, neglect and you will lose it† According to Mencius, he believed that the natural goodness of humans was perverted by circumstances. On the other hand he still believed that a person still had time to change their ways. He felt that every person had the potential to set aside the selfish ways, but in order to change they have to recover the lost mind and the forgotten heart. It is a matter of thinking naturally and following intuition and conscience.   

Hard Times as a Moral Fable Essay

The creative part is the fairy tale which often involves animals rather than humans. It speaks to our hearts as it entertains us; the ending is the logical, moral conclusion that satisfies our logical brains and seems â€Å"right†. The problem with all moral fables is that there are often 2 sides to the same story †¦ things are rarely so black and white in reality †¦ so there could be more than one ending †¦ e. g. here are times when speed is necessary over steadiness – of course, there also has to be good judgement. Although it is not appropriate to describe a work of art, which Hard Times undoubtedly is, as a moral fable or a morality play, yet the fact remains that there is a strong moral intention behind this novel. Hard Times is a satirical attack on some of the evils and vices of Victorian society. Satire has always corrective purpose and is therefore basically moral in its approach to the subjects it deals with. Apart from that, there are passages of direct moralising in this novel. Hard Times is a novel which from the moment of its publication aroused very different sentiments in the reading public. Dickens’s reasons for writing Hard Times were mostly monetary. Sales of his weekly periodical, Household Words, were low, and he hoped the inclusion of this novel in instalments would increase sales. Since publication it has received a mixed response from a diverse range of critics, such as F. R.  Leavis, George Bernard Shaw, and Thomas Macaulay, mainly focusing on Dickens’s treatment of trade unions and his post-Industrial Revolution pessimism regarding the divide between Capitalist mill owners and undervalued workers during the Victorian era The novel was written as a weekly serial story to run through five months of his magazine, Household Words, during 1854. Sales were highly responsive and encouraging for Dickens who remarked that he was â€Å"Three parts mad, and the fourt h delirious, with perpetual rushing at Hard Times†. Dickens had to force his story to fit the exigencies of a Procrustean bed and, in doing so, sacrificed the abundance of life characteristic of his genius. That, at any rate, was the general view of Hard Times until in 1948 F. R. Leavis, in his book The Great Tradition, suggested that it was a ‘moral fable,’ the hallmark of a moral fable being that ‘the intention is peculiarly insistent, so that the representative significance of everything in the fable – character, episode, and so on – is immediately apparent as we read. By seeing it as a moral fable, Dr. Leavis produced a brilliant rereading of Hard Times that has changed almost every critic’s approach to the novel. Yet a difficulty still remains: the nature of the target of Dickens’ satire. Both Gradgrind and Bounderby are emblematic, to the point of caricature, of representative early-nineteenth-century attitudes. Dickens tells us that Gradgrind has ‘an unbending, utilitarian, matter-of-fact face’; and the novel has been taken as an attack on the philosophical doctrine known as utilitarianism, the doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principle of conduct But utilitarianism can also mean the doctrine that utility must be the standard of what is good for man. Perhaps the two meanings come together in the famous Victorian phrase, ‘enlightened self-interest,’ the meaning of which will turn entirely upon the definition of ‘enlightened. Utilitarianism in the philosophical sense, as taught by the noble-minded John Stuart Mill, has had a profound and abiding influence on Western life and thought, and Dickens was certainly not competent to criticise it as a philosophical system. But if he was no philosopher, nor even a trained mind, he was something as valuable: ‘an astonishing diagnostician of life,’ as D. H. Lawrence has been called. ‘His sensitive nose could smell death a mile away. ‘ And it is precisely those elements of nineteenth-century economic thinking that denied life which he is attacking in Hard Times. He is, in other words, continuing his attack on what may be called the statistical conception of man, on human relations evaluated in terms of arithmetic, on what Thomas Carlyle called the ‘cash nexus’ that he had launched at the beginning of his career in Oliver Twist. There he had traced its consequences in official attitudes towards poverty and in the working of the New Poor Law In order to give a concrete shape to his moral purpose, dickens in this novel uses the characters here as symbols. Almost every character in this novel is an embodiment of a certain idea or concept or principle, good or bad. In fact, there are two groups of symbolic characters: one group symbolizing certain objectionable features of Victorian life, and the other group symbolizing certain moral qualities, of which we heartily approve. These two groups of characters, symbolizing opposite principle, are confronted with each other and it is this confrontation that constitutes the focus of interest in the novel. The characters here are therefore like the ‘dramatis personae’ in a morality play; there is an allegorical intention behind the character-portrayal. However, this novel is different from a moral fable or morality play in one striking respect. While the characters in amoral fable or a morality play are purely embodiments of certain qualities, good or bad; in this novel the characters, in addition to their function as symbols of certain good or bad qualities, are also individuals in their own right. Each character here is made to live as a separate individual, sharply distinguished from the other; yet their symbolic roles cannot be questioned. Coketown itself is treated as a symbol in the novel. This industrial town represents the industrial ugliness, industrial callousness, the mechanical and monotonous life which the workmen or the â€Å"hands† are compelled to lead under a system governed by utilitarianism and laissez faire. All the passages which describe this town or its people are written in an ironical vein and have an obvious moral purpose. In the main, however, the best writing in Hard Times is a result of this tour-guide mentality, as his wonder, horror and awe lead to vivid evocations of the landscape. Many critics have made the link between Coketown and a kind of Dantesque Inferno, and his vision of industrial society is â€Å"full of horror, but possessing also a weird beauty†. The key to the weird beauty latent in the horror are the ‘melancholy mad elephants’ of machinery – Dickens was as fascinated by industry as he was repulsed by it. The industrial artefacts of Coketown are endowed with all the life drained from its inhabitants, the dehumanised ‘hands’. Like Marx, Dickens could see an â€Å"inverted world characterised by the personification of things† and as a result the inanimate objects of Coketown abound with vitality, while the people within it are cogs in a machine, â€Å"people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the same pavements, to do the same work, and to whom everyday was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next† . Treating the factory as a living thing leads to mental links being forged between the ever coiling â€Å"interminable serpents of smoke† and the smokescreens that people use to hide themselves from the world, or indeed the world from them, most notably Gradgrinds inability to see past his system, and Bounderby’s deliberate hiding of his past. There are also links made between the fire in the â€Å"fairy palaces† and the fire of human passion, and aptly it is the mechanical Louisa who notices this, most likely fascinated at how a non-living thing has more life than she does – â€Å"There seems to be nothing but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out, father! † [I, xv]. Not only is this reversal of death and life hellish, but these descriptions of zombie workers in a living factory are written in a prophetic style which almost invites one to place an ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here! sign on the factory gates. All of the images of smoke, ashes, and fire â€Å"suggest that death is ever-present in the hell of Coketown†, as does the reference to the black ladder so often in use in the working class quarters [I, x]. Michael Wheeler points to the significance of Biblical imagery in the text, stating that the New Testament is the â€Å"yardstick by its modern usurpers are measured and found wanting†, and that this is the ultimate condemnation that Dickens can heap upon it. However, I cannot help but feel that passages proclaiming that â€Å"all those subtle essences of humanity which will elude the utmost cunning of algebra until the last trumpet ever to be sounded will blow even algebra to wreck† , while suggesting that Gradgrindery and the interlocking forces of industry are to be judged and condemned, they also make it clear that they will be left well enough alone until the Judgement Day. Coketown is painted as a hell on earth, consuming the lifeblood of its inhabitants, and the fact that it itself will be destroyed in the end is of monumental insignificance for the countless generations who will have to toil there until then. On the other hand The Circus is represented as a symbol of â€Å"Humanity† as Well as Art. The circus is very important as a sybol in the scheme of this moral fable. The circus people symbolize not only art but also humanity: they are embodiments of those simple virtues of sympathy and helpfulness to others for which gradgrind’s philosophy has no use and Bounderby’s hardened heart, no room. There is a remarkable gentleness about these people, a special inaptitude for any kind of sharp practice, and an untiring readiness to help and pity one another. The moral of this novel as a whole is put by dickens in the mouth of Mr. Sleary of the circus. After giving an account of the death of siss’s father to gradgrind, Mr. Sleary comes to the conclusion that there is a kind of love in the world which is not self-interest afterall, but something very different, and that this love has a way of its own of calculating or not calculating. This is the supreme message which the novel has for us. In these few words we find a condemnation of all that Gradgrind, Bounderby, and Mrs. Sparsit symbolize, and an acceptance and approval of what Stephen and Rachel, Sissy, and Mr. Sleary himself, symbolize. There are, thus, strong grounds for calling this novel a Moral fable or a morality play with the characters functioning partly as individuals but chiefly as symbols. Finally, there are passages of direct moralizing which lend to the novel the character of a novel fable or morality play. At one point, for instance, dickens warns the â€Å"commissioners of fact† and the utilitarian economists that if they do not attend to the instincts and emotions of the poor people, reality will take a wolfish turn and make an end of everything. At another point Dickens offers an ironic commentary, with an obvious moral, upon the effects of Gradgrind’s system of education on Bitzer’s outlook. And then, of course, there is a plain and straightforward maoralizing in the final chapter when the author comments upon the ultimate fate of each of the characters.

Discussion Board, Jamie & Carolyn

In the world today, there are a lot of unfortunate people who are suffering due to the conditions that they find themselves in as a result of natural disasters or other unrelated issues. Every human being has the right to have a good life through education, healthy life and income stability. However, this can only be achieved by the existence of humanitarian organizations such as the United Way as some of the governments in these areas are not capable of providing the services. These humanitarian organizations are not profit making and this means that they survive on grants from other profit making organizations. As Smith et al. (2000, pg 285) says, it is necessary for nonprofit organizations to be honest and transparent in their finances. This is the only way that they will win trust of their donors who provide with finances which help them to achieve their mission. Transparency should not only be on their finances but should also be on the way they govern their organization and the people they hire to provide the services. (Smith et al, pg. 311, 330)Response to Carolyn PostingIt is the dream of every human being to have a better life. However, this can only be achieved if one has a constant income which can only provided by a good job. To get a good job, one needs to be educated so as to acquire the skills needed. However, as Smith et al, (2000, pg 309) says, education and skills are not the only things that are needed for a person to get that good job, there is a need to get the knowledge that will help you to prove to the employer that indeed you are the one who should get that job.These are the services that are offered by Goodwill Industries International Inc. Such services require one or the provider to be honest. This virtue can only be given by an organization that does not look forward to some gains from the client. Nonprofit organizations such as Goodwill Industries International Inc. are therefore known to train individuals with utmost good faith. T his is known to help them conduct humanitarian and other activities in any type of organization they may be in. (Smith et al, pg 288) ReferencesSmith, B. et al. (2000). The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Capital Punishment Essay

â€Å"An eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind,† Mahatma Gandhi. When the murders of today are murdered by the government, is that not hypocrisy? Capital punishment is legal in 32 U.S. states. Capital punishment was a penalty for many felonies under English common law, and it was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence. Since 1976 lethal injection has been the primary method, although electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and by firing squad are still legal and practiced in some states. The death penalty is barbaric and unethical. Innocent lives are being taken away. U.S. tax payer’s money is thrown out the window. Capital punishment laws should be abolished in the entire United States. â€Å"Studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crimes.† (Death Penalty Information Center) As we sit in a jury box playing God, deciding who must live and who must die, we hand out the death penalty to teach society a lesson. We step into the shoes of a God and pass an irreversible judgment to mask our pain or disdain. Why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong? This is hypocrisy. In our judicial system, we do not rape rapists, make drunk drivers stand in front of a speeding car, or chop off the thieving hands of someone who steals. In Muslim practicing countries, the harsh punishment used to deter humans from stealing is to have the thieves hand cut off. This practice does not deter thievery and is considered barbaric and irrational in today’s American society. For some reasons unknown, we resort to a revenge mentality society when man kills man. A family who has lost a loved one due to a murder, will no t find closure from the killer’s death. They will find closure with acceptance and forgiveness in themselves. We cannot take away the life of another who may or may not be guilty of a crime. Consequently, innocent people have been convicted and executed. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Any error rate is completely unacceptable, when we are talking about life  and death. â€Å"Since 1973 the U.S. has released 144 prisoners from death row because they were found to be innocent of their crimes.† (Amnesty) Wrongful conviction causes range from eyewitness error, to government miscount, false confessions, informants, mishandled evidence, improper forensic evidence, and bad lawyering. Capital punishment is also discriminatory towards minorities, poor, and the mentally ill. â€Å"Africans make up about half of all homicide victims.† Glenn Ford, a black man, was released last month after 30 years on death row in Louisiana’s notorious Angola Prison for a crime he did not commit. As a result of his poverty, Ford was assigned two lawyers to represent him at his capital trial -the lead attorney was an oil and gas lawyer who had never tried a case – criminal or civil – to a jury. The second attorney had been out of law school for only two years and worked at an insurance defense firm. As often happens in capital cases, the prosecutors used their peremptory strikes to keep blacks off the jury. Despite a very weak case against him, Ford, defenseless before an all-white jury, was sentenced to death. (ACLU) Ford is just one of many people who were found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in capital and non-capital cases, but were actually not guilty at all. Once an inmate is executed, nothing can be done to make amends if a mistake has been made. Additionally, the death penalty is a huge cost to taxpayers. Sending someone to death row in the United States costs roughly $5 million, because the government takes the burden of paying for both sides. With appeals, and execution costs, death row is around $4 million more than an adult serving life in prison. The Constitution requires and long and complex judicial process for capital cases. The process is supposed to ensure that innocent men and woman aren’t wrongful executed, yet even with that the risk of executing an innocent person isn’t completely eliminated. Death penalty cases consume much additional prosecution and law enforcement staff time because much additional work must be done. Prosecutors must investigate and prepare aggravating evidence for presentation in the sentencing phase of the trial, respond to evidence, file many more motions, and spend significantly more time in court than they would in a non-death penalty case. In addition to these staff costs , prosecutors, like defense attorneys, hire experts and consultants, including consultants to assist with jury selection and witness  preparation. Sheriff’s departments must transport defendants and must provide additional courtroom security for lengthy death penalty trials, extra expenses that add up quickly. Indeed, a study of the federal system found that prosecution costs were 67 percent higher than defense costs in death penalty cases. The same study found that defense costs in death penalty cases were four times higher than in non-death penalty cases. (ACLU) Richard C. Dieter, MS, JD, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said the following on June 7, 2010, in his testimony before the Pennsylvania Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission, â€Å"The death penalty is the most expensive part of the system on a per-offender basis. Millions are spent to achieve a single death sentence that, even if imposed, is unlikely to be carried out. Thus money that the police desperately need for more effective law enforcement may be wasted on the death penalty. Every stage of a capital case is more time-consuming and expensive than in a typical criminal case†¦ There is no reason the death penalty should be immune from reconsideration, along with other wastef ul, expensive programs that no longer make sense.† (Death Penalty Info) Thus the alternatives are more ethical, just, and less costly than capital punishment. By substituting a sentence of life without parole, we meet society’s needs of punishment and protection without running the risk of an irrevocable punishment. â€Å"Over two-thirds of the countries in the world – 141 – have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice.† (Amnesty) It is time for the United States of America to catch up with the rest of the world and abolish capital punishment forever. â€Å"Death Penalty Facts.† (n.d.): n. pag. Amnesty Usa. Amnesty International, May 2012. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. . â€Å"No Government Should Experiment with Human Life.† American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2014. . â€Å"Testimony of Richard C. Dieter, Esq. Executive Director, Death Penalty Information Center to the Illinois House of Representatives Addressing Innocence and.† _DPIC_. Death Penalty Information Center, 2014. Web. 08 Sept. 2014. .

Absurdism

1 This thesis has been approved by The Honors Tutorial College and the School of Theater Dr. William F. Condee Director of Studies, Theater Tutorial Program Thesis Advisor Dr. Angela Ahlgren Visiting Assistant Professor Thesis Advisor Jeremy Webster Dean, Honors Tutorial College 2 HAPPY DAYS: A MODERN WOMAN’S APPROACH TO ABSURDISM THROUGH FEMINIST THEATER THEORY A Thesis Presented to The Honors Tutorial College Ohio University In Partial Fulfilment Of the Requirements for Graduation From The Honors Tutorial College With the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in TheaterBy: Rachel Collins 3 Table Of Contents Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 On Absurdism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 On Beckett†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Happy Days Production History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 Feminist Theater†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦18 Beckett and Gender (Happy Days)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 23 Happy Days in Performance: A Feminist Perspective (Process)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 34 Happy Days in Performance: Reflection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 40 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦48 Annotated Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 52 Creative SupplementaryMaterials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦59 Happy Days Rehearsal Notes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 59 Happy Days Rehearsal Script†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦74 Happy Days Program and Event Flier†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 92 Happy Days Production Photos†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 94 4 Introduction This thesis examines the character of Winnie in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days through performance and the lens of feminist theory and critique. In the wake of the Second World War, a number of artists in Europe attempted to find meaning in what some considered a meaningless world.The war had ravaged Europe, and it was difficult to find hope across the continent. Many artists during this time were concerned with existentialist ideas. These new social constructs led dramatists to experiment with new forms, which dealt with these existentialist philosophies through a dramatic medium. These forms experimented with l anguage, de-railed linear plotlines, and placed characters in bizarre situations. Martin Esslin, the producerjournalist turned scholar, coined the phrase â€Å"the Theatre of the Absurd† in his book of the same title. One of the major writers of this new form of drama was Samuel Beckett.Since Beckett’s plays began to be performed in the 1950’s, theater critics have typically viewed performances of Beckett’s works through the lens of existentialism, and his style prompted many to consider him an absurdist. Absurdist theories were able to frame the dramatic works for that time, but as the social constructs of Western culture, especially those concerning women, have changed, so has dramatic criticism of women. As half a century has passed since the initial writing of Beckett’s plays, it is important to consider them, especially those with strong female characters, through a modern feminist critique.Beckett’s writing took place during the second women’s movement. The Second World War had changed people’s views on morality, and society was forced to 5 redefine its standards. Before the First World War, class structure in Europe was rigidly defined. People â€Å"knew their place† and the gap between the rich and the poor was almost un-crossable. The war created opportunities for the lower class to advance in social position, but once it was over, society attempted to return to its pre-War structure. This cycle happened again after the Second World War.During the war, oppressed peoples in Europe were allowed to do things that they hadn’t been able to previously, but once it was over they were expected to return to their place in society. In Europe these people, including racial and religious minorities, the working class, and women, were fed up with these constraints. Women in particular strove to gain more equality in the job market and other venues. Beckett was in the interesting position of writ ing in the midst of this social revolution. In many ways, he was very familiar with the old world and traditions, where women’s place in society was subservient to her husband.But he was also looking forward to what the future could bring. His work in many ways anticipated the second women’s movement. Beckett’s early dramatic works are filled with male characters. Each of these men is attempting to answer the most basic of life’s questions: Who are we and why are we here? However, it was not until 1961 with Happy Days that he gave the stage over completely to the voice of a woman. In Waiting for Godot, Endgame, and Krapp’s Last Tape, women were not given a strong voice on the stage’s playing space. With Happy Days and the character of Winnie, Beckett gave women a voice in his work.Traditionally, Happy Days has been viewed through an existentialist lens, much in the same way that Beckett’s other works are 6 viewed. This study, however, attempts to re-frame Happy Days through a new set of scholarly examinations: the ideas of feminist theory and theatrical performance. Through scholarly research and performance of the piece, I looked at this important work from a new perspective. In the twenty-first century, an actress cannot approach the part with the same background as a woman playing the role in the early 1960’s.While it is important to look at plays within the historical context and tradition in which they were originally performed, this view limits the performer. If one was to only look at a piece of work historically and not interpret it using modern approaches, theater would, I believe, eventually become stale and no longer relevant to the world other than from a historical museum. Happy Days needs a new evaluation. It is time to examine it through the eyes of a modern-day woman, because that is the person who will be performing this role today.On Absurdism Absurdism was a deviation from traditional F rench theater but not conscience movement in itself. At the beginning of the twentieth century the avant-garde movement was regarded in the same vein as the symbolists of the late nineteenth century: their art was attempting to achieve the same results. Symbolists were reacting against the naturalist and realist forms of art and believed that the only way to represent the truth and meaning of life was to do it indirectly, instead of through exact imitation of reality.Much of the world was trying to recover after two large-scale wars. During the late 1940’s and the 1950’s, the French were interested in looking at the past for inspiration for their drama. Myths, legends, and symbols were primarily 7 used as subject matter. Particular emphasis was placed on the structure of language, for â€Å"the ‘poetic avant-garde’ represent[ed] a different mood; it is more lyrical, and far less violent and grotesque† than the theater of the absurd (Esslin 25). Prod uctions tackled the mystery of dreams and desire through traditional dramatic conventions.Paris, which has been the cradle of a number of new artistic movements, was the birthplace for new schools of thought, and the avant-garde of Paris drama â€Å" is this part of the ‘anti-literary’ movement of our time, which has found its expression in abstract painting, with its rejection of ‘literary’ elements in pictures; or in the ‘new novel’ in France, with its reliance on the description of objects and its rejection of empathy and anthropomorphism† (Esslin 26). Theater artists realized that this was an important advancement for their art form as well, and began to experiment with these forms through dramatic constructs.Esslin choose the word â€Å"absurd† to describe these plays based on the word’s definition, which means â€Å"out of harmony with reason or propriety; incongruous, unreasonable, illogical† (Esslin 23). The work of the absurdist playwrights, including Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Tom Stoppard, and David Mamet, carry these attributes. Most of these dramatists claimed they are not trying to be â€Å"absurdist. † Even Esslin, who coined the phrase, states that â€Å"the writers in question [are] individuals[s] who regard themselves as lone outsiders, cut off and isolated in his private world† (22).This phrase has, however, been accepted widely to describe plays of this type, because the authors in question â€Å"can be seen as the 8 reflection of what seems to be the attitude most genuinely representative of that era in style, execution, and philosophy† (Esslin 22-23). Esslin borrowed these notions of existentialism from the ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Camus’ essay â€Å"The Myth of Sisyphus† (1942) deals with existential issues, such as a lack of a God or omnipotent presence and fixed moral standards. Thro ughout the essay he stages an argument around suicide to examine what he considers the absurdity of life.In short, he believes that â€Å"the absurd enlightens [himself] on this point: there is no future† (Camus 58). He delves into the idea that life has no true purpose, and even when many humans discover how mundane life is, they still choose to continue living. Esslin quotes Camus: A world that can be explained by reasoning, however faulty, is a familiar world. But in a universe that is suddenly deprived of illusions and of light, man feels a stranger. His is an irremediable exile, because he is deprived of memories of a lost homeland as much as he lacks the hope of a promised land to come.This divorce between man and his life, the actor and his setting, truly constitutes the feeling of absurdity. (Camus qtd. in Esslin 18) With these ideas of man’s insignificant place in the world, humans, not God, determine their own existence. In the absence of the influence of a h igher power, there is no longer any certainty in an afterlife, or in anything, as humans are fallible beings. This then creates a philosophy that is based more on the individual versus the collective. Sartre on the other hand explains a more hopeful interpretation of existentialism.While Camus stresses the human’s inability to break the cycle of absurdity, Sartre asserts that humans are absurd because their free will always puts 9 them in complete control of their fate. In his book Existentialism and Human Emotions, Sartre asserts: Man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, yet, in other respects is free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. The existentialist does not believe in the power of passion. He will never agree that a sweeping passion is a ravaging torrent which fatally leads a man to certain acts and is therefore an excuse.He thinks that man is responsible for his passion (Sartre 23). A person is therefore in complete control of his or her own destiny. There is no God, so there is no set of doctrines or moral code to follow. The only thing that one has to rely upon is his or herself, and that reliance is what creates absurdity. Life has no meaning, because â€Å"before you come alive, life is nothing; it’s up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing else but the meaning that you choose† (Sartre 49). Therefore, life is meaningless unless one chooses to give it meaning.The philosophies of Camus and Sartre are critical to understanding the existential elements of the absurdist works. Another aspect of absurdism is that it attempts to create a world that accentuates the strange and bizarre. In short, it â€Å"strives to express its sense of the senselessness of the human condition and the inadequacy of the rational approach by the open abandonment of rational devices and discursive thought† (Esslin 24). It has a chaotic structure that creates th e illusion of an irrational universe. The plots are unclear, as well as the relationship between the characters.There is ambiguity in space, time, and relationships between characters. Words and phrases are repeated so that language itself becomes inadequate and incomprehensible. Reality is skewed so that the viewer does not know the difference between fact and fiction. Plays tend to be 10 cyclical in that they end in the same place they started. These never-ending cycles create an illusion of despair, and remind the audience how continually hopeless life can be. There is also a strong vaudevillian presence within absurdist drama: this creates an element of humour that therwise might be absent, and also highlights that as desperate as life can be, there are still moments of laughter within misery. The plays are funny and tragic at the same time, and they utilize traditional clowning techniques as well as orchestrated pauses to convey their messages. Therefore, â€Å"the Theatre of the Absurd has renounced arguing about the absurdity of the human condition; it merely presents it in being† (Esslin 25). Although absurdism is a widely defined genre, Beckett is considered by many scholars to be one of the pioneers of the form.When considering other playwrights and plays as absurdist, many scholars to this day compare the writers and works to Beckett’s canon. Therefore Beckett, although he does not consider himself to be an absurdist writer, is one of the major contributors to this style of theater. His works are numerous and his unique style is what brought absurdism to the forefront of dramatic movements of the late twentieth century. On Beckett Samuel Beckett was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1906 to Protestant middle-class parents. After he pursued his education in Ireland he was offered a teaching fellowship in Paris, which he accepted.There he met James Joyce and a variety of other artists. Joyce, impressed by Beckett, stated that â€Å"he thought Beckett had promise–a rare 11 gesture for him† (Alvarez 12). It was during the late 1940’s and into the early 1950’s that Beckett â€Å"began his lifelong association with Paris† and his fascination with the French language and linguistics in general. It was then that Beckett began writing; he published his first novel Murphy in 1938. After spending time in Ireland with his mother, Beckett returned to Paris when World War Two began.He volunteered for the Red Cross and was involved in the war in many ways, from helping with wounded soldiers, to joining radical political groups and trying to aide France’s war effort. He was forced to flee Paris when friends in a radical political group were arrested. Once the war ended, Beckett returned to Paris. It was during this post-war period that he wrote a number of dramatic works, including his most famous play, Waiting for Godot (Bair 381). After Godot Beckett wrote Endgame (1957) and Krapp’s La st Tape (1958). Shortly after the premier of Krapp he began writing Happy Days in October of 1960.Happy Days came at an interesting time in Beckett’s career: because of the success of Godot, Endgame, and Krapp, â€Å"celebrated playwrights, [and] other dramatists who studied his plays wanted to share their ideas, and in most cases, to pay him homage† (Bair 527). His new fame also caused rifts in Beckett’s personal life. He and his partner Suzanne Deschevaux-Dumesnil were planning on getting married, but wanted to keep the ceremony under wraps. They were making their relationship official because Beckett had realized current French law would not allow Suzanne to inherit the estate or his money if he were to die.They wanted to get married in England because â€Å"as an Irish citizen whose financial affairs were concentrated in 12 England, he had to be married there to insure the legality of the ceremony and Suzanne’s right to inherit his estate† (Bai r 530). However, since Beckett and Suzanne had been living in Paris, he had to reside in England for two weeks before the ceremony was legal, according to English law. During these few weeks, Beckett hid himself from the public eye in the Bristol Hotel and worked on his Happy Days manuscript. Like his early plays, Happy Days is an examination of life in an absurd situation.A woman, Winnie, is buried alive in an ant hill in a scorched landscape, while her husband Willie prattles around behind the landscape. Winnie is first buried up to her bosom and then to her neck in a large hill (presumably an abandoned ant hill, as one single emmet wanders the mound). She spends her days chatting about seemingly mundane nonsense, all with the hope that Willie might just be listening to her. While Winnie endures blistering heat, increased immobility, and a strident bell that keeps her from falling asleep, â€Å"she remains to the bitterest end, implacably optimistic and talkative† (Alvarez 108).Her unfailing hope in the future is both depressing and hopeful. It is her optimism that causes so many audience members to be moved by Winnie. In one Beckett biography, Diedre Bair asserts that as a result of Beckett’s increasing fame, Suzanne found it more difficult than usual to deal with her new husband. According to Bair: She resented his fame and felt that he should have made a more public acknowledgement of her important role in bringing it about. She wanted to be known as the helpmate who had made his success possible.He wanted nothing at all known about himself, least of all details which he considered of no more 13 than domestic import. He felt he had demonstrated his gratitude to her by marrying her when both considered the ceremony a mockery. (533) Bair believes the couple grew apart as the years passed: â€Å"They had nothing in common anymore, but neither thought of parting. Beckett began to envision their relationship as one in ineluctable bondage, and fr om then on, veiled references to their situation began to appear in his writing† (Bair 534).It is conceivable that much of the Happy Days plot was derived from his personal life, because it was written during the events surrounding his secret wedding. Other biographers, including James Knowleson, assert that Beckett and Suzanne had a loving relationship. While they were having problems in their small apartment, they felt if they moved to a bigger space they would have more time to live independently of each other. Therefore, Knowlson notes â€Å"the [bigger apartment] allowed them to live parts of their lives independently-without one disturbing the other, if he or she did not want to be disturbed† (423).Knowlson also mentions in this biography that Beckett had a mistress named Barbara during this part of his life, but that Beckett still felt (even though he waited almost a quarter of a century to marry her) that he was committed to Suzanne. In this account the marriage was troubled, but the couple was working through their problems. Because of their fiercely independent personalities, both wanted and desired independent space: their union worked best when there was a good combination of time together and time apart.It is this examination of Beckett’s married life that is pertinent to Happy Days, as Beckett’s view on the institution of marriage and lifelong commitment is explored throughout the text. 14 As Beckett is from Ireland and his English dialect is influenced by that country, Happy Days has Irish undertones in plot and form. While Beckett spent a majority of his life in France, his strongest ties were to his Irish roots. He was fascinated by the old ways or the old words that the Irish used, such as emmet (an ant). The way Beckett manipulates language is particularly Irish.Beckett’s use of the language is distinctive, utilizing traditional Irish techniques of â€Å"repetitive . . . words or sentences; . . . transforma tions, division, contraction, shortening and lengthening of words; and the minimization of the number of different words per sentence, but also exaggeration through redundance† (Van Slooten 48). Beckett also was very attached to music in the Irish tradition. He wrote to utilize â€Å"vocal techniques and sound effects [including] the sound of vowels and consonants and the alternately winded, syncopated, and pounding rhythms† to shape his texts† (Van Slooten 48).What is most interesting about this concept is the life and mobility that the Irish language gives to a piece like Happy Days, where the central character is trapped in a hill. The dialect itself requires a wide range of emotion and tonality in its expression, so that â€Å"stage directions such as ‘sad’, ‘suppliant’, ‘very excited’, ‘irritated’, ‘laughing’, ‘explosive’, ‘melancholy’, and the individual diction for d ifferent characters indicate how much importance [Beckett] attached to these matters and show how his words should be voiced† (Van Slooten 58).Because of the nature of the language in Happy Days, it is important to evaluate it through the Irish musicality to find the momentum of a play that contains little to no stage movement otherwise. 15 This â€Å"Irishness† can be seen in a London performance of Happy Days at the Old Vic Theater in 1975 (later transferred to the Lyttleton Theater in 1976). In this production, Dame Peggy Ashcroft played Winnie, Harry Lomax played Willie, and Peter Hall directed. Despite Ashcroft’s positive reputation, this particular production received a number of mixed reviews.One reviewer, Rosemary Pountney, believed that Ashcroft’s biggest weakness was her lack of vocal range. She believed that while Ashcroft had a great vocal capacity, Pountney loathed the Irish accent that Ashcroft attempted: Her greatest strength as an actress, the marvellous flexibility of her voice, was flattened and deadened in an attempt to convey an Irish accent—not a strong Irish accent, but, much more difficult for a non-Irish woman, the suggestion of one. A ‘non-accent’ accent resulted, with Dame Peggy’s superb voice not merely out of tune but restricted in its range, as though straitjacketed.Thus Winnie’s fluctuations of mood†¦ were dulled and Act 1 seemed to lack impact (Pountney). Although Ashcroft did not do the dialect justice, Pountney addresses that Beckett had written a musical quality to his dialogue, which in many cases is what â€Å"scores† the actress through the piece. The repetitions in the script work as guidelines and create the score of the production. Pountney was impressed by understanding of the Irish nature of the piece, but not so much their enactment of it.It is important to note that Happy Days was originally written in English, whereas most of Beckett’s w orks were previously written in French. Beckett stated that his reasons for writing in French were because it gave him a strict structure around the language. Because French was not his native language he was forced to be selective when he chose words, he chose words selectively, and did not inadvertently 16 embellish the language (Van Slooten 48). Although he translated all of his plays himself from French to English, there is still an element of sparseness to the language.Since Happy Days was originally in English, the style of the writing is different. Although there are pauses in the dialogue, the sentence structure flows differently than the sparse language of Godot or Endgame. Therefore, Beckett’s use of the English language in my production is paramount to understanding it through performance. Happy Days Production History Happy Days was performed for the first time on September 17, 1961 in New York at the Cherry Lane Theater. The production starred Ruth White as Winni e and John C.Becher as Willie; Alan Schneider directed the production. Schneider and Beckett had a long career as collaborators. Schneider directed a number of Beckett’s plays, including the American premier of Waiting for Godot, and Film? among many others. Because of prior commitments Beckett was unable to come to New York to supervise direction of this production. The two men therefore corresponded in letters to relay information, and according to Bair â€Å"Beckett's letters could easily become a textbook for Happy Days should [anyone] ever decide to publish them† (536).As with any Beckett performance, the directions given to the actors were thoroughly specific, as Bair describes: They are long and painstaking, filled with minute directions for action and how it should correspond to speech; detailed descriptions of lighting, even to the physical properties, brand name and positing of each individual bulb; and a series of drawings in pen and ink done by Beckett to s how exactly how he wanted Winnie and her mound to appear, and what the position of Willie should be at all times in relation to her. (536) 17At many times throughout the process, Schneider was worried that he was not doing Beckett or his script justice, since the directions were so specific. He remained worried until the show opened to an eager audience. The reviews of the play were mixed, as they had been for many Beckett plays before, but the reviewers who liked the production were not shy in their praises. In The New York Times, Howard Taubman praised the performance, especially White’s, stating that she: conveys a profound sense of the dark, empty spaces of Winnie's life. She uses her voice to achieve a remarkable range of nuance.Her eyes, her lips, the very lines in her face suggest mood and feeling. She fusses bravely with the black shopping bag that seems to contain all her worldly possessions. Her attempt to be invincible turns into a pitiable failure. At the end, wit h the silly, feathered little hat atop the head projecting out of the mound, she seems like a puny, weary Earth Mother of a mean, despairing world. (Taubman) The performance was praised for its ability to not only inspire viewers to look at life’s deep existential and sometimes disheartening questions, but also to reveal compassion, which is rare in Beckett’s works (Taubman).Ruth White’s performance was so revered that she received a 1962 Obie Award for Distinguished Performance. While the first few performances were received well, they were still looked at from a primarily masculine perspective. The majority of theater reviewers were male, and so the comments on the productions came from a male perspective. At this time however, a different group of artists was exploring theater from a feminist perspective. They experimented with dramatic forms to ighlight the female experience, which they believed to be lacking in society. It was during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s that feminist theater began to be produced. 18 Feminist Theater For many centuries the theatrical arts were dominated by men. Notable feminist scholar Sue-Ellen Case states that when the second-wave feminist movement began in the early 1960’s, â€Å"the singular term ‘feminism’ was often employed to describe a variety of political and critical realms. This term was interchangeable with the term ‘the women’s movement’† (62).The feminist movement was divided into a number of philosophies. In the theatrical world, there are two major approaches that scholars have identified as self-conscious approaches to feminist work: that of the radical or cultural feminists and that of the materialist feminists, otherwise known as socialist or Marxist feminists. Both of these groups influenced how the experiences of women were presented on stage. The most common form of feminism in the United States and democratic European count ries was what Case identifies as radical feminism.This particular form of feminism â€Å"is based on the belief that the patriarchy is the primary cause of the oppression of women†¦ the patriarchy represents all systems of male dominance and is regarded as the root of most social problems† (Case 64). Radical feminist performers and theater practitioners have concerns with the style of realism, because of â€Å"the nature of realism as a conservative force that reproduces and reinforces dominant cultural relations† in which man is superior to woman (Dolan 84).They believe that most male playwrights write about the male experience from a male perspective, even if writing female characters, and that the male experience is directly linked to patriarchal society. According to Jill Dolan: 19 By rejecting both realism and the genderized posturings of the of the maledominated experimental theater groups, the new feminist theater meant to create woman identified production s. This work, created by women for women, focused on woman’s experience with one another and their connections to each other through gender and sex.Identifying with each other as women was meant as an antidote to their oppression under patriarchy (85). Radical feminists believe that realism is inherently patriarchal, so they want to create a new form of realism for the female spectator so she â€Å"can find a coherent identity in the mirror image they hold up† (Dolan 99). It was the continual oppression of the feminine gender that most radical feminists wanted to examine. One of the most significant oppressions that women felt was that of sexual oppression from a maleoriented society.For centuries, â€Å"male culture made women’s bodies into objects of male desire, converting them into sites of beauty and sexuality for men to gaze upon† (Case 66). Many women as a result were afraid to discuss intimate details about their biology or their sex lives and des ires. Radical feminists wanted to challenge social norms and allow for women’s issues to rise to the surface, to reclaim women’s place in history. They wanted to portray women’s collective struggles against the â€Å"patriarchal backdrop on which women have been victimized,† to highlight the centuries of male dominance in the theater (Dolan 88).In radical feminist theater, Brechtian and Artaudian techniques were often utilized. The Verfremdungseffekt, otherwise known as the distancing effect, is a technique Bertolt Brecht used in his epic theater to ensure that the audience would not become emotionally attached to the characters and could serve as an external political observer. In contrast, Antonin Artaud believed that the theater should contain an aspect of cruelty. He did not intend cruelty to mean causing physical pain for an actor 20 r audience, but cruelty in the way of making violent or disturbing actions on stage so the audience member is forced t o deal with uncomfortable topics. Brechtian techniques are used in feminist theater to alienate the audience and Artaudian to make them feel uncomfortable as they are faced with the breaking of cultural norms. Radical feminist performances, however, differ from those traditions in that radical feminist performances generally consist of a ritualistic element, which created the illusion of timelessness. This differs from Brecht’s usual usage of historical events to urround his plotlines. These performances also highlighted the biology of women and the power they held as a result, whereas Brecht largely concentrated on the politics and Artaud on the cruel intentions. While this was the intention, often â€Å"the body is curiously lost in [performance], perhaps because truly considering the body in space means dealing with the representational apparatus, which the feminine aesthetic is inadequate to handle† (Dolan 97). This struggle between rejecting and embracing realism is used as a means to advance feminist ideologies through performance.Dolan and Case discuss one other type of feminist performance: that of the materialist feminist. The major idea materialist feminism expounds is that all oppression comes from societal construction, and that capitalism is the major determinant in this construction. This can be seen through a historical labor production as Dolan explains: Production is the central human action played out in the market place and, for women, in the domestic sphere. The organisation of the forces of production and the role of wages create the situation of the worker.In the market place, the woman worker has generally been paid lower wages than the man and retained in a subordinate position without upward mobility. In the domestic sphere, unpaid housework and unpaid 21 reproductive and child-rearing labour have been instrumental in shaping the condition of women. The nuclear family is perceived as a unit of private property, in which t he wife-mother is exploited by the male as well as by the larger organisation of capitalism (Dolan 83). Therefore, the materialist feminists believe that there should not be a distinction between genders, but that all genders should be treated with equal weight.Instead of viewing women as a gender, they are treated as a class, much like middle class, upper class, or working class. In short, the woman lives in a system that provides free labor to her husband or her employer. She provides free labor for her husband â€Å"by producing future workers as babies and by preparing the labourer for each day’s work† (Case 84). As a result, this form of feminism has been most prominent in European countries, as the class structure is more defined in those countries than in North America.The only way that a woman can liberate herself from this structure, according to this form of feminism, is to enter the workforce. According to Simone de Beauvoir1 in her revolutionary text The Se cond Sex (1949), when a woman receives employment she is liberated from her husband and can be her own member of the social structure. She then â€Å"ceases to be a parasite [and] the system based on her dependence crumbles; between her and the universe there is no longer any need for a masculine mediator† (Beauvoir 679).In patriarchal society, men have the liberty of having their occupation not determined by their gender. Women who try to deviate from this norm are subject to oppression, as â€Å"the woman who does not conform devaluates herself sexually and hence socially, since sexual values are an integral feature of [a patriarchal] society† (Beauvoir 682). Materialist feminists believe that by changing the economic structure, 22 the social structure will soon follow. If women are given equal opportunities in the workplace and are treated as men, they will not be sexualized and demoralized as before.Therefore, in performance, materialist feminists do not see it nec essary to portray women as accurately as they would in life, because that is not the aim. The aim is to see women as a class, not as a performer of gender. Materialist feminists believed that the theater could be used to advance their gender in society, but they felt that the radical feminists were slightly misguided. They felt that if women were still working under the constraints of a male society, they were weakening women until she could only exist as a representation on stage.Therefore, the materialist feminists wanted to discover â€Å"how to inscribe a representational space for women that will point out the gender enculturation promoted through the representational frame and that will belie the oppressions of the dominant ideology it perpetuates† (Dolan 101). The materialist feminists deviated from the idea that â€Å"patriarchy is everywhere and always the same and that all women are ‘sisters’† and instead used their theater to underscore â€Å"t he role of class and history in creating the oppression of women† (Case 82).The most successful way to make their points, they believe, is by highlighting the arbitrary nature of gender and its performance in society, and to assert that all real differences between individuals are the results of class inequalities, which in turn manifest in gender inequality. They wish â€Å"to reveal the complicity of the representational apparatus in maintaining sexual difference,† and prove that it is not as important to maintain these differences on stage as it had been in works of realism (Dolan 101). 23It is through the performance ideologies of radical and materialist feminism that most feminist theater of the late twentieth century can be categorized. Also, many subsequent forms of feminist theater have been widely influenced by these theories, either directly or because the performers choose explicitly to deviate from the feminist theater norm in order to make their own points on gender in society. However, even today, much of feminist theater employs techniques of distancing, alienation, highlighting differences between sexes.They are less concerned with making sure gender is represented accurately on stage in accord with realism, or talking about issues that are traditionally considered feminine, such as women’s sexuality, body, and life experiences due to gender. Beckett and Gender (Happy Days) Beckett is often criticized as being sexist. This claim comes mainly from the way the Beckett Estate, which is in control of all of Beckett’s works, deals with gender when giving out performance rights to companies. Beckett has made it very clear that only men are allowed to perform the roles for men, and women are allowed to perform the roles for women.His estate has filed a number of lawsuits on companies trying to change the gender roles in his works and has been successful in most instances (Jeffreys). Though some have gotten angry at the iron grip that the Beckett Estate seems to have on Beckett’s works, there is a logic to the demand that each gender represented in a play must be played by an actor of that gender. Beckett intentionally wrote a part for a man so a man could play it, in the same way that he wrote a part for a woman to play. He wrote very clear male and female voices. The female voice 24 specially that of Winnie, is inherently unique. She does not speak about herself or her troubles in the way that Vladimir and Estragon do in Godot. She does not speak about prostates or having an erection, she speaks about lipstick and quotes Shakespeare. Therefore, it is imperative to explore gender and choice of language in Beckett’s works, because he was so deliberate with gender in his productions. In many ways, Beckett has represented his women stereotypically. Throughout his writing career, however, Beckett began to challenge his original notions and began to portray women more diversely.At the beginnin g of his career, when he was focusing on prose, most of Beckett’s women were overbearing and clearly antagonistic to men. For example, in his first novel Murphy, the main female character, Celia, is a prostitute that Murphy lives with. Celia makes many demands of Murphy, and is portrayed as an overbearing woman throughout. On the other hand, Beckett did move away from some established theatrical gender roles. In traditional gender roles, young women were often sexualized and are portrayed as â€Å"beautiful, chaste, and usually static† (Bryden 18).Some say that Beckett does not conform to this gender stereotype because most of his women are loud, overbearing, in grotesque circumstances, and older. For example, in Happy Days, Winnie is continually overbearing toward Willie, especially when giving him specific directions on how she wants things done. He cannot even go where he wants without Winnie screeching, â€Å"Do as I say, Willie, don’t lie sprawling there i n this hellish sun, go back into your hole† (Beckett 25). Winnie has lost much of her vitality, and in a way is so far removed from it she is no longer bound to the stereotypes of youth.Instead, Winnie is 25 confined to stereotypes of age, as many older women are portrayed as meddling, controlling, and loving, just as Winnie is. Another gender stereotype would be the care that Winnie takes in preserving her appearance. Throughout the beginning of the play, Winnie is focused on making sure she keeps up her physical appearance. The act of obsessive grooming and the placement of value in physical appearance tend to be regarded as feminine traits. At the beginning of the play Winnie is following her morning routine. She brushes her teeth, checks herself in the mirror, and begins to apply lipstick.She is also concerned about the appearance of her hair. Winnie is in the middle of a thought when she anxiously cries out, â€Å"My hair! Did I brush and comb my hair? I may have done, n ormally do† (Beckett 22). In a number of productions of Happy Days, the design takes into account the idea that in Act II Winnie is unable to move her arms any longer. Therefore she is unable to tend to her personal appearance. In the 2007 production of Happy Days at the Royal National Theatre in London starring Fiona Shaw, the actress had blackened teeth, mussed hair, and a dirtied face at the onset of Act II.This showed that Winnie was unable to take care of herself, and this choice is even supported in the text when Winnie mentions, â€Å"Willie, look at me. Feast your old eyes, Willie. Does anything remain? Any remains? No? I haven’t been able to look after it, you know† (Beckett 62). Willie, as a man, does not tend to his appearance in the same vein at all, and to that effect does not help Winnie keep up her looks when she is no longer able. Winnie must give him orders on how to take care of his 26 appearance.Therefore, Beckett places the female in the stere otypical role of taking care of her appearance, while the male is placed in the role where he does not. Winnie is also obsessed with her declining looks. It is clear that she spends much of her time trying to impress Willie and feels that because she has lost her looks, she has lost what makes her desirable to men. She states, â€Å"Was I lovable once, Willie? Was I ever lovable? Do not misunderstand my question, I am not asking you if you loved me, we all know about that, I am asking if you found me loveable at one stage† (Beckett 31).Winnie believes that her lovability is directly attached to the past, and therefore her youth. It is generally considered typical of women, rather than men, to be obsessed with their own youth and beauty. Women are typically cast off as undesirable when they reach a certain age, whereas men have a much longer time frame before society deems them too old to be physically attractive. Winnie also remembers her beauty from before she was in the mou nd, stating: and now? The face. The nose. I can see it†¦ the tip†¦the nostrils†¦breath of life†¦ that curve you so admired†¦ if I stick it out†¦the tip†¦suspicion of brow†¦eyebrow†¦imagination possibly†¦.Cheek†¦no†¦no†¦ even if I puff them out†¦ no†¦no†¦damask. (Beckett 52) She truly believes that her looks are the only reason that Willie could have ever loved her, and now that they are gone, she has no means of attraction. It is stereotypically characteristic of a woman to have these thoughts, and the preoccupation fits the gender stereotype. Winnie is also a stereotypical woman in the way she remembers her past lovers. For example, she is very sentimental about the memories of her first ball and her first kiss. It was with â€Å"a Mr.Johnson, or Johnston, or perhaps I should say 27 Johnstone. Very bushy moustache, very tawny. Almost ginger! Within a toolshed, though whose I cannot conceive† (Bec kett 16). According to most gender stereotypes, it is typical of women to be obsessive over past relationships. Winnie’s memory is no exception. She also remembers another lover before Willie named Charlie. It is a fleeting memory, where she contemplates the situation, stating, â€Å"Ah yes†¦ then†¦now†¦beechen green†¦this†¦Charlie†¦ kisses†¦this†¦all that†¦ deep trouble for the mind† (Beckett 51).Clearly, Winnie is saddened in her memories but clings to them because she has little left that she can value as a result of her situation in the mound. Holding onto her past lovers represents Winnie’s desire to hold onto her rites of passage, including her first sexual experiences. Beckett explores a number of other stereotypes, including the purse Winnie carries. A purse is traditionally considered a feminine object to carry and generally is filled with trinkets that women are prone to using or carrying around.For example, the bag that Winnie uses is filled with such objects as a compact mirror, a handkerchief, a bottle of medicine, lipstick, a brush and comb, and a nail file. Although it can be argued that Winnie is bound to her purse because of her lack of mobility and things to occupy her time, it can also be seen as a comment on the female gender and their stereotypical dependence on the purse or bag that they carry. Winnie has great faith in her bag, and is protective of and dependent on it, stating: There is of course the bag. The bag. Could I enumerate its contents? No.Could I, if some kind person were to come along and ask, What all have you got in that big black bag, Winnie? Give an exhaustive answer? No. The depths in particular, who knows what treasures. What comforts. (Beckett 32) 28 Winnie is so attached to her bag she believes that the objects themselves carry not only meaning, but life. In the second act Winnie contemplates, â€Å"It’s things, Willie. In the bag, outside the ba g. Ah yes, things have their life, that is what I always say, things have a life† (Beckett 54). This materialistic view has been attributed to women in many instances.Someone who marries a person for their money or resources is more likely to be a woman than a man (even though it is a stereotype for both genders), as women are seen as a lower class, and to escape their place in the class structure they marry into their wealth as they are not as privileged to earn it themselves. There is, however, one stereotypically masculine object in the bag: the revolver. In many cases, the revolver is a symbol of power and dominance over others. In the past, men typically carried firearms on their person and were given guns to use in war, an arena that has only recently been occupied in a standard capacity by women.The shape of the gun itself can also be considered phallic. The gun, considered as a phallic object, can also be seen as a castration of Willie. Winnie has essential ownership o ver his manhood. This can be supported by one of Willie’s few lines, in which Winnie asks him what a â€Å"hog’s setae† is, to which he replies, â€Å"Castrated male swine. Reared for slaughter† (Beckett 47). Willie clearly sees himself as someone who is no longer in control of his masculinity and has fallen so far that his status is reduced to that of a pig. He is also so far gone that he is ready to be killed. He is on his deathbed, waiting to go to the slaughterhouse.This viewpoint is very alarming, and does shed a slightly negative light on women. Winnie, in many ways, 29 can be seen as a monster for having power over the gun and therefore Willie’s masculinity. It is again remarkable to note that Winnie, not Willie, is the owner of the gun as it suggests that Winnie is in possession of the masculine object, and thereby the power. It is in her bag, and though she seems repulsed by the idea of a gun, she is also somewhat fascinated and consoled b y its presence. When considering the gun, Winnie states, â€Å"oh I suppose it’s a comfort to know you’re there, but I’m tired of you.I’ll leave you out, that’s what I’ll do. There, that is your home from this day out† (Beckett 33). It is also unclear whether or not Willie is attempting to reclaim the gun from Winnie or not. At the play’s end, when Willie comes out â€Å"dressed to kill† and comes to Winnie on the mound where the gun is resting near her, Beckett makes sure that Willie’s last lunge towards the mound is ambiguous (Beckett 61). One is unsure whether or not he is trying to reach for Winnie, or for her gun. Regardless of his motive, one thing is certain: he does not attain the gun; it remains in Winnie’s possession.It is fair to assume that if the play’s narrative would have continued, Willie would never have gotten the gun from Winnie. Therefore, though Winnie is considered stereotypical with the use of her purse to carry trinkets and her attachment to her purse, she also is the wielder of a surprisingly masculine object, and the male character is unable to have it for himself. Another notable point is that commonly arises in Beckett plays is the lack of mobility women usually have, which suggests that women have little room for advancement in this world.Scholar Mary Bryden points out that â€Å"in these plays, stasis 30 has more in common with aspiration than with condemnation,† meaning that those who are not moving have aspirations that are static, not that they themselves are condemned to some sort of hell (90). Nell in Endgame lives in a trash can. The women in Play (1963) are trapped in urns. While this lack of mobility can be seen in male characters as well (Nagg in Endgame, the male in Play), the effect is different. Other men are given mobility in Beckett’s works, when women are less likely to be given movement.Hamm is able to move, as is Krap p, Vladimir, Estragon, Lucky, Pozzo, and most notably Willie. Willie is given the option of mobility, whereas Winnie is not. Winnie is actually happy with her lack of movement, stating, â€Å"What a curse, mobility! † (Beckett 46). She is aware that at one time she used to be mobile, but blissfully unaware at how much easier her life was when she was mobile. She was able to hold a parasol above her head with ease instead of with pain and discomfort. She was not the object of spectacle when others passed by. She was independent in many ways because she was not bound to the earth.She even dreams of leaving her situation, and dreams that â€Å"if I were not held–in this way–I would simply float up into the blue. And that perhaps someday the earth will yield and let me go, the pull is so great, yes, crack all round and let me out† (Beckett 33). Winnie recalls these things many times and acknowledges that mobility would be best for her. But she remains complac ent about her situation and still finds happiness in her utterly dependent state with Willie, because her aspirations cause her to stay immobile. Her mobility is in direct relation to her ambitions.Since her dreams are not going anywhere, neither is Winnie. 31 In other ways Beckett does break standard gender stereotypes when portraying his women. In a patriarchal society the wife is supposed to be the servant to the husband. While Winnie is holding up her parasol and her arm tires, she asks his permission to put it down, stating, â€Å"bid me to put this thing down, Willie, I will obey you instantly, as I have always done, honoured, and obeyed† (Beckett 36). It seems that Winnie is a woman who is completely dependent on her husband, and in many ways she is because of her situation in the mound.However, Willie is the one who serves Winnie. Willie is the one who brings her items when she demands them, answers to her voice when she calls out to him, and essentially does whatever she demands. Winnie, in effect, has not taken the role of the stereotypical married woman. She mentions that she serves her husband and is bound to do so. Therefore she does not leave because of her duty and her vow of marriage and her situation in the hill. Willie, in the same vein, is not trapped in the hill as Winnie is. He is able to leave the harsh environment whenever he would like and essentially let fate take Winnie.He doesn’t leave, however. He takes the abusive phrases from his wife and he stays with her until presumably the end of her days. In much the same way, sex in Beckett plays is just as forgotten and elusive to men as it is to women. Characters in Beckett plays remember that sex, at one time, existed. But now it is so far in the past that it is almost forgotten. Winnie’s only memories of sex seem to be poor, as she states â€Å"sadness after intimate sexual intercourse one is familiar with of course. You would concur with Aristotle there, Willie, I fancy† (Beckett 57).Ironically, the Aristotle quotation actually refers to men, 32 stating â€Å"the exhaustion consequent on the loss of even a very little of the semen is conspicuous because the body is deprived of the ultimate gain drawn from the nutriment †¦ [so] as a general rule the result of intercourse is exhaustion and weakness rather than relief† (Alexander). It is extremely interesting that Winnie, as a woman, references such a masculine viewpoint on sexuality. However, she does seem to agree with this overtly masculine philosophy. Through her condition in the hill, Winnie’s sexuality is gradually covered up.Cooker, or Shower, as Winnie is hard at remembering, has made numerous comments about her sexuality in regards to the mound. Cooker and/or Shower is a man and his wife, that occasionally pass Winnie and Willie, and make rude comments about the state that Winnie finds herself in. Beckett was well versed in German, and used these English names a s a play on words. In German, the word â€Å"schauen† means to look, and â€Å"gucken† to watch: naming his onlookers Shower and Cooker was highly suggestive. The mysterious onlooker is curious as to whether her body is still good looking, stating, â€Å"can’t have been a bad bosom†¦in its day.Seen worse shoulders†¦in my time. Does she feel her legs? . . . has she anything on underneath? † (Beckett 58). She is infuriated by the comments, yelling, â€Å"let go of me for Christ sake and drop! Drop dead! † (Beckett 58). But her condition in the mound makes it impossible to defend herself. While man and woman are both foreign to sex, it is the woman who is trapped and made a fool of, and has no way to defend herself because of the condition the playwright has placed her in. Dolan makes a point to discuss this in her work, commenting on the role that sexuality plays in performance.She believes that â€Å"if power adheres in sexuality, and cul tural feminists 33 assume power leads to violence against women, it becomes politically and artistically necessary to attempt to disengage representation from desire,† meaning that in feminist theater practices, women have to be presented as women, not the object of male sexual desire (Dolan 61). In Beckett’s production, Winnie is literally trapped and gaped at, proving Dolan’s point that in most of the modern canon, the representation of woman on stage is synonymous with desire.One of the scenes in Happy Days that concentrates most on sex is that in which Winnie discusses Mildred, commonly referenced as Milly, and the mouse. The story is quite frightening and underlines the idea that sex for women and for Winnie in particular has been terrifying and un-gratifying. In the second act, Winnie describes Mildred, a little girl who could have been Winnie as a young woman. She has been given a wax doll named Dolly. Milly sneaks out of her room to the nursery to undress Dolly, as she seemingly has been â€Å"forbidden to do so,† then suddenly out of nowhere a mouse appears and crawls up Milly’s leg (Beckett 55).She screams, and the entire household comes running to see what the matter is. It is at that moment that Winnie stops her story, and is too overcome to finish. It is clear from the language, that the story is one of Milly’s, or perhaps Winnie’s, first memories of sexuality and perhaps her own sexuality. Clearly the experience frightened her in regard to her sexual nature, because she abruptly stops her story by warning Willie that he â€Å"may close [his] eyes, then [he] must close [his] eyes- and keep them closed† (Beckett 59).While Winnie’s sexuality has shifted and her sex drive has been affected by her entrapment in the 34 mound, it is clear that even from a young age she was not accepting of her sexuality, or able to properly deal with it because she felt violated. Throughout Beckett’s w ork, gender stereotypes are present. However, these stereotypes are accompanied by a number of gender deviations from the stereotypical norm. Therefore, when considering the work of Beckett, it is valid to assert that although Beckett conforms to gender stereotyping, he is not bound by them.Even though his work is informed by a world on the verge of the second-wave feminist movement, he is beginning to break gender stereotypes that are inherent in his earlier works of prose and even drama. Therefore, Happy Days is an appropriate and interesting play to look at from an absurdist feminist perspective. Happy Days in Performance: A Feminist Perspective (Process) When mounting a production there are a number of individuals involved, and they all have a certain role to play.Actors, directors, producers, and the production design team all work together to create a final performance. In the fall, I spent most of my time researching the production and writing the preliminary part of my thesi s. In the production, I held two roles: that of producer and lead actress. As a producer, it was my responsibility to be in charge of the logistical elements of the production. I was responsible for coordinating the space rental, finding rehearsal spaces, making the program and fliers, and essentially all of the production aspects of the performance.Some of my duties I gave to my director and stage manager to handle, which in a typical performance would not happen; however, since I was also taking on the role as the lead actress, I had to divide my time. In that role I was expected to memorize all of 35 my lines, have character ideas, personalize emotional responses and relationships, and have a set of actions to achieve my objectives. This role proved to be the most time consuming, as the Beckett script was repetitive and convoluted, making it difficult to memorize.Winnie is essentially the only character who speaks (meaning there are no other actors to rely on for help with lines and following the through line of the script, or the journey of the character throughout the play), and the nature of absurdist work makes it difficult to discover objectives and relationships. One of my first duties as producer was to assemble a production team. First, I chose a performance faculty advisor. I asked Professor Shelley Delaney because of her work with one-woman performances and her knowledge of the craft of acting.After making this choice, I was informed that Professor Delaney would not be able to help direct me in the production. I knew that as an actor I would not be able to assess my progress without the help of a director. Therefore, I asked Arielle Giselle Rogers to direct me. She graduated from Ohio University’s School of Theater with a BFA in Acting in 2011, and she is very experienced in directing and performing in onewoman shows, especially feminist works (she is the founding member of F-Word, a feminist theater performance group on Ohio Universityâ₠¬â„¢s campus).I also needed a stage manager; someone to handle the day to day operations of rehearsal. For that I choose Jacob St. Aubin, a junior BFA stage management major because he is an impeccable organizer and very talented. I then needed a set designer to help with the construction of the hill that Winnie is buried in. I chose Ryan Myers, a senior BFA production design and technology major who specializes in set design, based on his 36 previous design and portfolio work.For costumes I turned to Megan Knowles, a senior BFA production design and technology major who specializes in costumes, because I had worked with her before and she has a very impressive portfolio. For the sound design I asked Aaron Butler, a graduate student in the School of Music, because of his work in other School of Theater productions in which he utilized minimalist soundscapes and experimental music. For the lighting design I asked Keri Donovan, a BFA production design and technology major who speciali zes in lighting design to create the effect of the fire and generally light the show.Finally, I solicited help from one other faculty member, Laura Parrotti, who was my vocal coach throughout the process. Professor Parrotti has been a vocal coach on a number of professional productions, as well as the main voice coach for the School of Theater students. Her advice on how to handle the Beckett text from a vocal standpoint was instrumental to the process. Rehearsals for Happy Days began January 9, 2012. The cast consisted of me (Rachel Collins) as Winnie and Sean O’Brien as Willie.Rehearsals were coordinated through a joint effort between Jacob and me, but he facilitated the rehearsal reports, space rental, and coordination of meetings with the production team. The first week of rehearsals consisted of table work, which was run by Arielle. Table work is generally the term used for the first week of rehearsal, in which the actors go through the script beat by beat and look at th e academic and theoretical aspects behind the script that would inform the performance. Sean and I read through the script while Arielle gave notes. Then the three of us would discuss the scholarly background of the play, 7 characters, motivation, and my take on the thesis, etc. , with the group and began to come up with character ideas and how to shape the piece. The main aspect we discussed through these workings was the idea that Winnie is a woman who i