Thursday, January 30, 2020
The adventure of the speckled band Essay Example for Free
The adventure of the speckled band Essay These stories, whilst written in the 19 century, still seem very relevant today. In this age where terrorism is a constant threat, it is easy to believe that we are the first generation to experience these fears. However, these stories give us an excellent reminder that we are not the first, and that these threats have been with us for many years; they have also been well documented and explored. Before reading these stories, I believed that these stories would be very remote, as the 19th century setting would be too early for me to easily relate too. However, as I read the stories, I started to realise that they were very relevant indeed. It was very easy to relate the poison of the swamp adder in Conan Doyles, Adventure of the speckled band, to ricin, which we are so aware of today due to the finding of the poison in London. Both poisons would also not normally show up on an autopsy, but a few milligrams of it could still kill many men. I also spotted very quickly the similarities in HG Wells, The stolen Bacillus, to the possibility of Biological attacks on many cities, such as the possibility of attacks on major cities with airborne spores, like anthrax. Whilst, in the story, it turns out that the visitor, as he is referred to, has not taken the deadly cholera bacillus, I found the vivid description of how the disease would, go hither and thithertake the husband from the wife, the child from its mother, absolutely terrifying, simply because of the sheer detail in which it is described. The personification which is used to help describe the pestilence also helps make the disease more terrifying, as if it is made to seem like a person is doing these terrible deeds, it can do so calculatingly and even more evilly. This personification is very well illustrated in the way that the bacteriologist constantly refers to the cholera as, he, in his rhetoric. We are also told how, he would creep through the streets, picking out and punishing a house. These very human characteristics show that the bacterium should be feared, as a person rather than a micro-organism. An issue which I feel is related to that of terrorism, and which is mentioned in Wells novel is that of immigration. There is a growing concern about letting people into our country, partly due to the fear of terrorism. This can, unfortunately, greatly promote racism against people of an Arabic origin. Whilst the immigrant becoming a criminal in this story is not of Arabic origin, he is clearly not a native to the British isles: Certainly the man was not a Teutonic type, nor a common Latin one. This not only shows the problem of immigrants turning to crime, but also that of discrimination against them. Whilst it could be argued that no discrimination occurred, as the Bacteriologist let him into his lab, I feel that as it is only after, musing on the ethnology of his visitor, that he started to panic, as he did not trust foreigners. This illustrates that immigration and discrimination against immigrants was as much a problem in the 19th century as it is today. Another issue that is very relevant to the 21st century is that of womens rights. Whilst the spice girls, and other girl power related groups were formed in the 20th century, many girls raised listening to the spice girls will soon be adults with a significant say in our society, such as the right to vote. We have also seen many court cases in the past few years relating to sexism and unfair dismissal cases. However, I believe that these issues are brushed upon even this early in these stories, which, considering the time they were written in, is somewhat impressive. For example, the womens suffrage movements only appeared in the early 1900s, so these books evidently show that both authors were somewhat ahead of their time. The issue of sexism is clearly raised in Wells novel when the bacteriologist is running down the street and his wife is chasing him in a dog-cart. The off-duty dog-cart drivers see this and are evidently very aware that she is female, as they say that, Shes a following him. Usually the other way round. This shows that the woman could never be seen as a person, at least not by the common taxi drivers, who are shown to be common by their dialect; she was simply something to be chased. I think that the fact that Minnie is also following the bacteriologist simply to give him his hat is significant, as it shows that she is solely concerned about her husband, and therefore her image. This seems to show that she has nothing important to do and has no job. Women are therefore presented as somewhat inferior, at least to the 21st century reader, as this may have been the norm in the 19th century. This sexism is also shown in, The adventures of the speckled band, as women are simply expected to marry as a matter of course, and have to ask their fathers for permission to do so. This shows that women were seen to be reliant on men in order to survive. I also believe that it is relevant that Helen has no job in this story; she simply survives using money from her stepfather and mother. She also clearly has nothing else to do but look pretty and marry. This sexism is clearly something that the 21st century reader can identify with, and can also help the reader not becoming alienated from the 19th century setting. Domestic violence is another thing which is still as relevant today as it was over 100 years ago. Domestic violence is shown in Conan Doyles story when Helen is beaten by her stepfather. As Holmes says in the story, she has been cruelly used, when he notices a hand mark on her wrist. As domestic violence is, clearly, an issue which still effects us today, I believe that this is certainly an issue relevant to the 21st century.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
William Shakespeares Othello and The Tragic Hero :: William Shakespeare Othello Hero Essays
William Shakespeare's Othello and The Tragic Hero      If one reads Shakespeare's Othello, they can come to the conclusion that it might be one of the his most tragic plays ever written by Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet, is probably the most famous of his tragic plays, but Othello, has characteristics that, I think make it even more tragic than his other plays, and therefore for that reason, you can say that Othello is the most tragic hero.      Othello is a noble man, one who has grace with the ladies but also possesses all the virtues of a military leader that he is. He is a general that is experienced in battle. He has shown that he is reliable and well known in the military and is well respected. His valiant personality, is what draws people to him, as it does for Desdemona. The senators value him and hear what he says when he speaks. This is shown here by one of the senators. "Here comes Barbantio and the valiant Moor", (Act I scene 3, 47) . This is an example of the many comments which shows Othello's character and personality as a person and an officer. They say he is one of the great leaders.      Not only does he posses great character and courage, but also dignity. He keeps his control even when he is being accused of witchcraft during the first encounter with the senators when Desdemona's father confronts him about see his daughter.           "Most potent, grave, and reverend signors,           My very noble and approved good masters;           That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,           It is most true; true I have married her.           The very head and front of my offending           Hath the extent, no more. Rude I am in my speech,           And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace;" (I, iii, 91)      This is an example of how Othello deals with style and grace under fire, when he is accused of witch craft, by marrying Desdemona. He neither, yells or screams, but explains in a manner that captivates his audience, and draws them in to listen.      A major sign that Othello shows his rage and jealousy occurs in Act III, scene 3, when Iago is talking with Othello and tells him that Desdemona is a whore. Othello's breakdown, almost to choke Iago, simply asks Iago           "Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, Be sure if it. Give me the ocular proof. Or by the worth of mine eternal soul, thou hadst been better have been born a dog. Than answer my waked wrath." (Act III, scene 3) This a point in the play where Iago starts unveil his malicious plan.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Beat Me Skeet Me: A Critical Analysis of “Secretary†Essay
â€Å"Secretary,†the movie, is a provocative and warped love story. Viewers may go purple with rage or gray with disgust, while many may turn pink with embarrassment in order to hide the red of arousal. This movie crosses dangerous psychological territory: the threshold between desire and pain, between surrender and subjugation. Gaitskill’s â€Å"Secretary†is more about submissiveness and â€Å"sexual perversion†(Garrett 1). Critic Regina Weinreich argues that Gaitskill’s debut is startling and refreshing due to the neediness she portrays in her characters; their â€Å"vulnerablility makes them . . . victims of their own behavior†(Weinreich 1). Steven Shainberg’s film, working from a short story by Mary Gaitskill, is about two specific characters. Some will claim that Shainberg’s film makes sexual abuse palatable, maintains that women secretly crave submission to a dominant male, and makes the case that humiliation at the hands of a man can lead to psychological freedom, not to mention all the awful things it implies about the position of secretaries. Yet, â€Å"Secretary†is so consistent in its characters that it’s fair to say that only in the case of these two weirdly satisfying people are any of the instances true to life. The film shows how specific characters bridge their isolation (Shainberg 3). The additions to the film adaptation of Mary Gaitskill’s â€Å"Secretary†makes the story more fascinating and better justifies the characters’ actions. See more: how to write a good critical analysis essay Mary Gaitskill’s â€Å"Secretary†is about a frumpy wallflower who’s so â€Å"bruised emotionally†that she’s struggling to â€Å"connect with [her]self†(Weinreich 1). She gets a job as a secretary and ends up in a strange sadomasochistic relationship with her employer. It’s a great premise for a story, especially in its absurd moments, as when the lawyer begins to spank his new hire for every typo she commits. Gaitskill is an insightful writer; her stories are â€Å"lean and quick and tightly controlled,†yet the end of â€Å"Secretary†is flat, and too serious (Garrett 1). Gaitskill’s humor in â€Å"Secretary†is dry and teasingly salacious; it’s a more subtle incitement of sadomasochism. Having been spanked and sexually humiliated by her employer, the narrator feels estranged from her own body. And she likes that estrangement; it fires her sexual fantasies. When you finish reading the story, you think to yourself, â€Å"So what? Why should I care for this character?†The secretary begins and remains much the same. She is the kind of person who suffers from such low self-esteem that she invites and accepts abuse. She â€Å"frequently wonder[s] if there’s something wrong with [herself]†(Hallgren 2). You can’t blame the lawyer for maltreating her and you find yourself wishing that he’d managed to knock some sense into her. It’s hard to feel for anyone so stubborn and resigned. The protagonist in the story wasn’t known to enjoy pain before the incident, so it’s hard to justify how she responds to her boss’s abuse. The only explanations for her reaction are that she was bewildered, curious, or simply passive and submissive (Kakutani 1). In the movie, Lee Holloway is a lost young woman with family issues. She’s just been discharged from the asylum and has gone right back to what put her there in the first place, a compulsion to cut herself. Lee finds a job as a legal secretary at the office of attorney Edward Grey. When she first enters the office on a rainy morning, she’s wearing a hooded rain coat, which makes her look innocent and introverted compared to Grey in his business suit. The description of the lawyer in the story gave no real feeling of dominance, except that he had an aggressive hand shake. The movie, on the other hand, gives the audience a very clear image of his strength and control, and all his little quirks, such as the red markers he keeps and his built up energy that he exhausts by working out. In the film, the characters’ motives and personalities are â€Å"not only dramatically palatable but emotionally plausible†(McCarthy 1). Once we get to know Grey, we learn that he’s trying to let out his inner pervert, and the effort is making him into a repressed wretch; his eyes bulge with suppressed rage and fear. Lee is the fly the spider cannot resist. Through their increasingly bizarre relationship, Lee follows her deepest longings to the heights of masochism and finally to a place of self-affirmation. The boss-secretary relationship starts to take on master-slave overtones before the big moment when, as punishment for a couple of innocent typos, Grey demands that Lee bend over his desk so he can administer a few thwacks across her ass. Lee is transformed. As Lee submits to this humiliation, she experiences an â€Å"exhilarating release and a shock of recognition†(Ansen 1). The episode allows her to stop the impulse of cutting herself. Louise Pembroke, a self-mutilator herself, argues that â€Å"S&M is not a self-harm substitute. Pain as pleasure is not the same as pain from self-injury†as the film suggests (Pembroke 3). Joe Queenan believes that â€Å"Lee has [just] found a less destructive and more socially acceptable outlet for her . . . masochistic tendencies†(Queenan 1). As she and Grey continue their dominance/submission games, she begins to dress better, carry herself with confidence and lose the social awkwardness that was her personality. In Gaitskill’s story the spanking incident was â€Å"just another quality in the cumulative discovery of character†(Johnson 1). Debby came to little if any revelation in the story. The characterization of Lee makes â€Å"Secretary†a charming comedy. As she puts up with the conventional courtship practices of her gentle but dull boyfriend, who is not in Gaitskill’s story, she’s as ungainly and self-conscious as a stranger. Peter asks Lee â€Å"‘I didn’t hurt you did I?’ after a bout of imagination-free sex. Lee stares into space, her gaze signaling, ‘If only'†(Kemp 2). The spanking incident leads to a flowering of Lee’s sexual self that pushes aside the boyfriend, her twittery mother, her snotty sister and her drunk father. Grey’s imperious manner and his imposing office are the triggers that allow Lee to escape her cocoon and become a kinky sadomasochist butterfly. The twist here is that Grey is hounded by shame and it’s up to Lee to rescue him from his self-loathing. This helps show the film’s point that sexual liberation lies with surrender to one’s own kinks, and that even perverts deserve to find a soul mate. Lee was â€Å"so profoundly moved by someone having discovered her secret source of satisfaction†that she was able to be open about it (McCarthy 2). â€Å"Secretary†is, at its core, a little love story which dares to suggest that genuine love can come from sexual dominance. In the written story, the lawyer doesn’t show any remorse, except to send Debby a severance check. And, Debby barely comes to any epiphany over the strange occurrence with her boss. In the film, however, the secretary begins as a self-conscious cutter and transforms into a free and beautiful woman. This is what distinguishes the film as truly perverse; it envisions S&M not as a stereotypical session with whips and chains, but rather as a force capable of transforming a person. Before the sadomasochistic relationship developed, Lee mutilated herself privately. When their relationship began to unfold, â€Å"it [was] as if [Lee admitted] somebody else into [her] private world†of masochism (Shainberg 1). The protagonist of Gaitskill’s story seems to accept the sadistic behavior of her boss as a reinforcement of her own piteousness, whereas the protagonist of the movie attains a kind of self-liberation through it. When Lee submits to the lawyer’s demand that she sit at his desk until he returns in order to prove her love, she undergoes an endurance test. She waits there with her hands flat on his desk as day turns into night and back again to day, eating and drinking nothing, urinating on her fiance’s mother’s wedding dress, and enduring confrontations with her fiance, family members, a priest and tv crews. The effect of this incredible act of submission, which is found in the film but not the story, is not to reinforce the secretary’s low self-esteem, but to demonstrate that she finds within herself a power to endure. She approaches the act not as though it were a psychodrama but as though it was a contest of self-restraint. Her ability to suffer surpasses the lawyer’s ability to enjoy the spectacle of suffering, her masochism exceeds his sadism, and with this realization they enter into a strange new territory: a loving relationship in which the usual imbalance of power between sadist and masochist is offset by the strength of her masochism. The two characters seem destined for each other. Mary Gaitskill’s short story is well written, but touches more on abuse and submissiveness than sadomasochism and love. Gaitskill shows the characters relationship as being determined â€Å"by the convergence of mutually compatible fantasies,†rather than â€Å"such abstract passions as love, hate or desire,†which are portrayed in the film (Kakutani 1). The movie is much more intriguing and effective at getting a point across. Short stories, unlike films, are limited in the amount of information that can be portrayed, and the depth of which characters can be depicted. The protagonist’s self inflicted pain, her horrible family ties, and her boyfriend are just a few of the additions to Gaitskill’s story that make the plot and characters in the movie stronger. Works Cited: Ansen, David. â€Å"Hostile Work Environment: Typing, Filing, Bondage: This ‘Secretary’ Aims to Please.†Newsweek 17 May 2003: pg.70 Garrett, George. â€Å"Fun and Games for Sadomasochists.†New York Times 21 Aug. 1988: BR3 Hallgren, Sherri. â€Å"Stories Explore the Tangled Emotions of Complex Lives.†San Francisco Chronicle 29 Dec. 1996: p3. Johnson, George. â€Å"New and Noteworthy.†New York Times 18 June 1989: BR34. Kakutani, Michiko. â€Å"Seedy Denizens of a Menacing Downtown World.†New York Times 21 May 1988: pg.17 Kemp, Phillip. â€Å"Secretary.†Sight and Sound 13 (2003): 54-5 McCarthy, Todd. â€Å"Secretary (Sundance).†Variety 385 (2002): 36-7 Pembroke, Louise. â€Å"Secretary.†Mental Health Practice 6 (2003): p 26-7 Queenan, Joe. â€Å"The Story of an Office Romance With a Twist.†The Guardian (London, England) 17 May 2003: p12. Shainberg, Steven. Interview by Terry Gross. Fresh Air. WHYY-FM. 31 Oct. 2002. Weinreich, Regina. â€Å"Small Affirmations.†The American Book Review 11.3 (July- Aug. 1989): 12, 19
Monday, January 6, 2020
Chart of the U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents
The first line of Article II Section 1 of the US Constitution states, The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. With these words, the office of the president was established. Since 1789 and the election of George Washington, Americas first president, 44 individuals have served as the Chief Executive of the United States. However, Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms which means that the next president of the United States will be number 46. The unamended Constitution mandated that a president would serve for four years. However, nowhere did it state if there was to be a limit on the number of terms to which they could be elected. However, President Washington set a precedent of only serving two terms which was followed until November 5, 1940 when Franklin Roosevelt was elected for a third term. He would go on to win a fourth before dying in office. The twenty-second amendment was passed soon afterward that would limit presidents to only serving two terms or ten years. This chart includes the names of all presidents of the United States, as well as links to their biographies. Also included are the names of their vicepresidents, their political party and terms in office. You might also be interested in reading about what presidents are on the bills of US currency. Chart of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT POLITICAL PARTY TERM George Washington John Adams No Party Designation 1789-1797 John Adams Thomas Jefferson Federalist 1797-1801 Thomas Jefferson Aaron BurrGeorge Clinton Democratic-Republican 1801-1809 James Madison George ClintonElbridge Gerry Democratic-Republican 1809-1817 James Monroe Daniel D Tompkins Democratic-Republican 1817-1825 John Quincy Adams John C Calhoun Democratic-Republican 1825-1829 Andrew Jackson John C CalhounMartin Van Buren Democratic 1829-1837 Martin Van Buren Richard M. Johnson Democratic 1837-1841 William Henry Harrison John Tyler Whig 1841 John Tyler None Whig 1841-1845 James Knox Polk George M Dallas Democratic 1845-1849 Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore Whig 1849-1850 Millard Fillmore None Whig 1850-1853 Franklin Pierce William R King Democratic 1853-1857 James Buchanan John C Breckinridge Democratic 1857-1861 Abraham Lincoln Hannibel HamlinAndrew Johnson Union 1861-1865 Andrew Johnson None Union 1865-1869 Ulysses Simpson Grant Schuyler ColfaxHenry Wilson Republican 1869-1877 Rutherford Birchard Hayes William A Wheeler Republican 1877-1881 James Abram Garfield Chester Alan Arthur Republican 1881 Chester Alan Arthur None Republican 1881-1885 Stephen Grover Cleveland Thomas Hendricks Democratic 1885-1889 Benjamin Harrison Levi P Morton Republican 1889-1893 Stephen Grover Cleveland Adlai E Stevenson Democratic 1893-1897 William McKinley Garret A. HobartTheodore Roosevelt Republican 1897-1901 Theodore Roosevelt Charles W Fairbanks Republican 1901-1909 William Howard Taft James S Sherman Republican 1909-1913 Woodrow Wilson Thomas R Marshall Democratic 1913-1921 Warren Gamaliel Harding Calvin Coolidge Republican 1921-1923 Calvin Coolidge Charles G Dawes Republican 1923-1929 Herbert Clark Hoover Charles Curtis Republican 1929-1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt John Nance GarnerHenry A. WallaceHarry S. Truman Democratic 1933-1945 Harry S. Truman Alben W Barkley Democratic 1945-1953 Dwight David Eisenhower Richard Milhous Nixon Republican 1953-1961 John Fitzgerald Kennedy Lyndon Baines Johnson Democratic 1961-1963 Lyndon Baines Johnson Hubert Horatio Humphrey Democratic 1963-1969 Richard Milhous Nixon Spiro T. AgnewGerald Rudolph Ford Republican 1969-1974 Gerald Rudolph Ford Nelson Rockefeller Republican 1974-1977 James Earl Carter, Jr. Walter Mondale Democratic 1977-1981 Ronald Wilson Reagan George Herbert Walker Bush Republican 1981-1989 George Herbert Walker Bush J. Danforth Quayle Republican 1989-1993 William Jefferson Clinton Albert Gore, Jr. Democratic 1993-2001 George Walker Bush Richard Cheney Republican 2001-2009 Barack Obama Joe Biden Democratic 2009-2017 Donald Trump Mike Pence Republican 2017 -
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