Rebel Without a Cause Essay Example for Free

Rebel Without a Cause Essay In the late hours of the night Jim Stark, the main character of Nicholas Ray’s, Rebel Without a Cause, can be found resting his head against a piece of crumpled wrapping paper, lying on the cold pavement, droning out all his troubles with the sound of a toy monkey’s clamour. Throughout the entirety of the film Jim constantly seems to be droning out his problems, whether it be with a toy monkey of with a rebellious facade, which subconsciously distracts him from his true issues. Jim Stark’s defiant nature is rooted at his angst and eagerness in which he holds within himself. The only manner in which he feels he can accurately expose his emotions is through rebellion. In the beginning of the film when Jim shouts to his arguing parents in despair, â€Å"Youre tearing me apart! You say one thing, he says another, and everybody changes back again,† he is unleashing the built up confusion that is festering inside of him. Being that Jim is a somewhat complicated teenager his thoughts often seem to be consumed with questions. Jim questions his masculinity, his choices, the meaning of his life and his purpose. This confusion within him leads him to become desperate for answers and since his parents do not seem to offer him a solution he rebels in order to find one on his own. Jim chooses to rebel in various different manners. The most dramatic forms of rebellion involve his parents and his peers, Judy, Plato, Buzz and Buzz’s gang. With his parents Jim questions their roles, specifically his fathers feminine mannerisms. Being that Jim’s mother seems to play a more masculine role while Jim’s father plays a more feminine role, Jim becomes confused and attempts to correct this problem through rebellion. A clear depiction of this is when Jim encounters his father in a frilly yellow apron cleaning up a tray of spilled food. At the sight of this Jim becomes infuriated with his father and tells him to stand up and be a man. This scene is later repeated later in the film when Jim returns home after the death of Buzz. After asking his father for guidance as to whether of not he should go to the police Jim’s father is unable to offer him a straight answer and resorts to everything that Jim’s mother has to say. This leads Jim’s mother to contemplate moving again and Jim responds by saying, â€Å"Dad, stand up for me. † At this point Jim is practically begging his father to be more of a man and to stand up for him against his mother. Jim’s father does not respond, propelling Jim to yank him up shouting, â€Å"Stand up. † This scene is a clear representation of Jim’s rebellion against his father. Jim feels as if he is lacking a fatherly figure and will resort to being violent towards his father in order to â€Å"man him up. † Another moment in which Jim’s rebellion shines through is in the deadly chicken game with his rival Buzz. Wearing a bright red jacket, to represent his destructive nature, over his pristine white shirt, that represents his true purity, Jim heads out the cliff where him and Buzz will drive stolen cars close to the water and jump out beforehand, the winner being the one who jumps out last. Buzz, who sports a yellow shirt representing his true cowardly ways, seems to push Jim into doing this strange activity. When Jim asks, â€Å"Why do we do this? † Buzz says â€Å"You got to do something. † In this moment it becomes obvious that Jim feels that by rebelling through the participation in this chicken game, he is developing some sort of meaning to his life. This game will create a name for himself amongst his peers and this influences him to participate. Because Jim is vulnerable and wants to fit in he gives in. His rebellious nature in this scene is derived from the need to fit in, which all teenagers go through. Often adolescents will attempt to prove themselves to their friends by doing something risky in order to be one with the crowd. Even though Jim knows that this is wrong, he is rebelling against his uncertainties and the unanswered questions he has within him because he views rebellion as the only viable answer. His overpowering emotions and his desire to fit in create a wicked mutineer out of him. Film critic Leo Goldsmith from Reverse Shot says in reference to the film, â€Å"Under Rays dissecting eye, the suburban home itself becomes a battleground where parent and child must scream over each other to be heard. † The beginnings of all of Jim’s problems seem to rest on the warzone in which he is living at home. This angst, resentment and anger that he feels towards his father translate throughout everything his does in his life and lead him to rebel. Because Frank is unable to fulfill his role of guiding Jim, Jim feels that he must find his way on his own, making his a rebel with a very good cause.

A Study On Space And Time Media Essay

A Study On Space And Time Media Essay The ability of humans to create, change, adapt to and enhance their surroundings, their interactions, and their lifestyle has been an incredible feat throughout mankinds existence. Even ancient inventions such as the wheel or the discovery of fire have propelled humans forward, enabling them to build tremendous, continuously developing infrastructures throughout the world. With these ever-developing infrastructures in place, the rapidity of movement and communication has been constantly increasing. They have effectively shortened the time it takes to cross a certain distance. Time and space are the main factors of being; our movements, daily routines and interactions are entirely based around them. However, with technologies ranging from telegraphic communication to the internet and the mobile phone, time is, in some aspects of social live, not only being shortened but is becoming detached from space itself causing us to reconsider how time and space are actually related to each othe r. The concepts and parameters of time and space are particularly hard to define due to their complexity as Harvey (1989: p.203) states: â€Å"the objective qualities of physical time-space cannot be understood, therefore independently of the qualities of material processes.† We have learned to measure them and therefore have given them a basic characterization, so that there is a certain logical feeling to time and space, a sense of passive control. Without matter, time and space have no importance. Modern existence has revolved around understanding and ultimately decreasing time in order to shorten space. Due to mobility inventions starting with the horse cart and ending with the jet plane, the space we move backwards and forwards in has become compressed, while the measurements of space itself has not changed. Time was until the invention of the clock, hard to pin down. Obviously individuals were able to make out periods of a day (morning, midday, night), but there were no pro per time periods, no sense of timely organization. With the clock, society became more structured. Employees were allocated work hours, social meetings could be allocated to a specific hour in the day and a clear timely division between work time and recreational time was put in place. During the industrialisation and even nowadays, this time control has put an exact time structure for allocated movements in an allocated space. It allowed bureaucratic systems to emerge, with which control and structure was implemented into social live. The clocks effect is immense, possibly just like the internet is having an effect on society in post modern society. Space on the other hand is more straightforward for individuals to perceive. Harvey describes space in a social context as â€Å"‘stations (places where certain activities like working, shopping etc. occur) and ‘domains where certain social interactions prevail† (Harvey, 1989: p.211) However, defining space as station s and domains, could also be seen as an oversimplification of space itself. This definition, as Harvey even states himself â€Å"makes no attempt to understand why certain social relations dominate others, or how meaning gets assigned to places, spaces, history, and time.† (Harvey, 1989: p. 212) This simplification and Harveys contradiction to it, shows that there is more to space than just simple stations or domains. Space is not necessarily easily definable. Space and our perception of it are under constant fluctuation, causing us to observe different spaces different. There are private spaces, public spaces, restricted spaces, spaces controlled by a specific group of people. Time and space are intertwined with our social actions and social statuses. There are two important theories of how time and space relations are changing throughout modernity and post modernity; Giddenss time-space distanciation and Harveys idea of time-space compression. Giddens refers to a development â€Å"which tears space away from place by fostering relations between ‘absent others, locationally distant from any given situation of face-to-face interaction† (Giddens 1990, 18) as well as â€Å"lifting out of social relationships from local contexts of interaction and their restructuring across time and space† (Giddens 1990, 21). Giddens calls this disembedding. This means that time and space distance themselves from each other, furthermore we ourselves are lifted out of time and space in a social and communicative context. The need for a physical space to communicate is becoming less central. Harveys idea of time-space compression on the other hand touches upon the fact that with a globalising world, individuals who live in very dista nt places are able to experience the same things at the same time. In essence, this means that they live in the same space, having the same experiences during the same time period. Harvey thus points out that due to our constant development of new communication technologies; the space we move around in and the way we communicate, becomes compressed because we are able to cover the same distance in less time or in no time at all. Both of these two theories about rethinking time-space relations state the fact that information and communication technological advances are central to creating a world that in all places is synchronized. However, a completely electronically synchronised world is far from becoming an actual reality. How can time and space be understood in a postmodern era, where due to new media technologies time and space have changed? As stated earlier, communication changed due to the emergence of immediate communication. The telegraph has changed the idea and concepts of real time. There no longer was the need for oral communication in the same space, and written communication was replaced by the immediate communication technologies. Written communication, took long periods of time to move from sender to recipient, while the telegraph was able to overcome these time ‘gaps. Capitalism, with its need for ‘speeding up time to thus reducing space to increase production and consumption, media technologies, such as the telephone, television, the mobile phone and ultimately the internet have all caused the diminishment and perception of space further than the telegraph, and increased production and consumption due to its increased outreach without the hindrance of space. Space, as state d before plays an integral role in shaping society, and with it constantly being challenged by new emerging media and technologies, the way we see space changes. In a modern capitalist society, companies, who at first were only capable of reaching people in a confined space, are able to advertise and reach targeted consumers globally. A perfect example of a diminishing space rift is Coca Cola. Due to a globalising world, and the achievement of immediate worldwide communication, they were able to market their product worldwide, produce it worldwide. We no longer perceive a person that lives halfway across the globe unreachable. We are able to communicate with them instantly with the new media mediums being put to use. A good example of this are the call centres based in India, who do not actually cater to the Indian public, but to the British, who often are not even aware of the fact that they are making a call across the globe. This is evidently a space and time reduction. â€Å"Sp ace appears to shrink to a ‘global village of telecommunications and a ‘spaceship earth of economic and ecological interdependencies† (Harvey, 1989: p.240) The more technological advances occur, the more are needed, thus the rate at which they are researched and put to use gradually increases, which also in turn causes time to speed up at the same rate. The capitalistic need of ‘instant noodle products constantly advances. Ultimately the internet, since its emergence has become an extension of our space, and a shortcut through time. The internet has replaced post mail, bulletin boards, shopping catalogues, libraries, video rentals, etc. It has not only replaced all these, it has reduced the time needed to access them and use them. Modern communication has become time based rather than space based. With mobile phones, instant messaging and social networking sites, we no longer have the need for space for communication. Our communication has made space, in a social context, physically redundant. In premodern society on the other hand, the need for space was vital for communication, due to the lack of communication technologies. Space and time in that case were equally important. Here it must be understood, that space itself is a hurdle that has to be overcome in order for human interaction to take place. Surveillance and new media technologies are closely interlinked. This idea touches upon Foucaults panopticon, where prisoners, workers, schoolchildren etc. are able to be watched and surveyed from a single point. The idea of this social control has taken a new turn. Society can now be under constant observance, CCTVs and other monitoring devices can be installed anywhere in a country or even abroad, and can be immediately be viewed hundreds of kilometres away. Thus the idea of social control in coordination with time and space has changed as well. Are the virtual spaces that we have created the same space as we occupy? Considering that these virtual spaces are not actually physical. We know that the space we occupy physically exists, because of our ability to sense (hearing, smell, touch, sight and taste). Social movements and interaction, has until recently been entirely confined to this ‘space. With the emergence of the electronic virtual space, we have created a dimension which we cannot touch or smell. However, we are able to see and hear it. We are able to use this virtual space from the space that we occupy. We create avatars, to represent ourselves in this virtual space. Or is this virtual space, actually part of our space? Has it caused us to understand time and space differently? While we cannot be physically present on the internet, we have used it to extend and at the same time change our social space. The internet, as well as other electronic media, changes our social surroundings. We no longer have to meet a friend, colleague or family member in a physical space; due to the internet we have the ability to not change our spatial location, but can simply contact them via social networking sites, instant messaging software or other internet or telecommunication based means. Furthermore, touching upon capitalism again, in reference to the internet, consumption is changing. The internet enables us to shop, without moving further than our doorstep to pick up a parcel delivery. We can order any item imaginable, ranging from groceries to electronics to cars to land. We can buy them directly from retailers or take part in auctions on eBay. Giddens asks the question â€Å"Why is the separation of time and space so crucial to the extreme dynamism of modernity?†(Giddens, 1990: p.20) Giddens then proceeds to answer the question and argues that the separation of time and space is the â€Å"prime condition of disembedding† (Giddens, 1990:p.20). Disembedding is not only the removal of individuals from the boundaries of time and space, but also the disembedding of entire institutions. This shows that time-space distanciation happens on a much larger scale. It is not only the communication between single individuals, but the communication of entire companies, institutions, and even entire countries. The disembedding that Giddens mentions, is the product of new media technologies. Furthermore, this affects the basis of contemporary social life. The societies we live in nowadays are highly globalised. This is not only due to the fact that people of different origins live in the same country, but that people can by t he click of a button, order products, programs, or receive information on and from any other country. The relations between time and space, has definitely changed with every communicative technology. Due to new media technologies such as the internet and the mobile phone, we are now able to communicate without having to be in a designated space. We can be in the most public of places, yet be able to talk to someone that was not even in that area. The internet allows us to receive information, communicate with literally anyone instantly, no matter where they are without having to be physically present. It has enabled the emergence of multinational corporations, the intertwining of cultures. Time and spaces relation however, has always been under constant change and will continue to change with every technological advancement we make.

Human Nature Essay -- essays research papers

Human nature is the egotistical behaviours that drive the human race to be creative and inquisitive. Although some philosophers may disagree with the validity of this statement, others such as Aristotle, John Stuart Mill and Thomas Hobbes would believe it to be true. After examining the beliefs of these philosophers and using real-life examples to rebut the beliefs of those who disagree, man’s true nature of curiousity, creativity and selfishness is clearly evident.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once inspecting the philosophical beliefs of Thomas Hobbes, Aristotle and John Stuart Mill, human’s creative, inquiring and self-indulgent nature seems indisputable. Thomas Hobbes was correct in saying that self-interest is man’s true nature. He spoke the truth when he described man as an â€Å"aggressive, greedy, competitive, anti-social and vain† (Gini- Newman et al. 28) species. Everyday, man demonstrates this nature as he works steadfastly to make money so that he can indulge in the life of luxury and opportunity that he desires. He then donates to charitable organizations so that he does not have to suffer from feelings of guilt for not sharing his wealth with those less fortunate. Even human’s creativity and desire for knowledge illustrate our races egotistical nature. Aristotle once said that â€Å"all men by nature desire knowledge.† (Gini- Newman et al. 26) John Stuart Mill later said that â€Å"no intelligent human bei ng would consent to be a fool.† (Gini- Newman et al. 26) Both of these philosophers were correct in their observations. Man is an incredibly intelligent human being. He can think abstractly and develop unique ideas and theories. However, man’s creative ideas and broad range of knowledge all contribute to his self-interest. Man prides himself on knowledge. His intellectual endeavors build his self esteem and ego. He feels proud and worthy when he invents something. Although many human being use their innovative nature to improve the quality of life for others, their intentions are always inspired by their innate desires to feed their selfish nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The selfish desires of man and his needs for creativity and knowledge of self are difficult to dispute. Although philosophers such as Joseph Butler, Mengzi and Siddhartha Gautama have expressed different beliefs on this issue, there are many examples that challenge the soundness of... ...deavors, I notice the self interest that lies beneath them. I realize the self-assurance that I gain by being knowledgeable and I yearn for the praise I receive when I create a masterpiece. Even when I help others, by donating money to charitable organizations for example, I am being selfish because my actions are inspired by my personal desires to alleviate my feelings of guilt and sympathy. When I reflect on my life, I often feel ashamed of my self-centeredness. Unfortunately, this is my nature. I can try to control it, but I can not change it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The writer, Alfie Kohn, was correct when he noted the negative connotation on the expression, â€Å"I am only human.† (Gini- Newman et al. 43) Man’s creative and curious nature does make him distinct from all others; however, he truly is a selfish specimen. Everything man does, from working hard to earn a degree to finding a cure to save the lives of others, is aimed to fulfill his personal desires. Although philosophers may disagree on the true nature of man, it is difficult to dispute his selfishness as a species because there is so much evidence that prove him to be exactly this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Immigration and America :: Immigrants Emigration Essays

Immigration and America Many modern textbooks state that Christopher Columbus â€Å"found† America in 1492. Taken literally, this statement is obviously false. Many geologists will concur that the lands of the world have been in existence for billions of years. More pertinent to the discussion of American history, learned researchers will concur that there is proven fact that humans lived on the land now called America for thousands of years before the name Columbus reached the Western world. Over 37 million people from Europe, 6 million from Asia, and 10 million from the rest of the world have immigrated to the United States since 1820.[1] In essence almost all â€Å"Americans† are descended in some part from immigrants to the New World. The tossed salad that is America is made great because of the variety of ideas from foreign lands. Immigration is crucial to American success because of the extreme scope of thought contained within America and the acceptance of the world as a whole immigration brings. The success of America is based largely on the wide variety of thought brought to the New World. Multiple accounts describe the trials of immigrants attempting to gain a new lifestyle within America for one or more of a host of reasons. Many of these accounts detail a case in which the immigrant is able to become successful within a self-owned business or create a new idea for the good of the country and the world. Examples of this set of circumstances are plentiful. One such case is Samuel Slater.[2] His careful study of European mills proved very useful upon entrance in America. After building his own mill, America rose to become one of the world’s top producers of manufactured goods. Another valuable example is Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel Corporation. Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, came to America and first found work as a bookkeeper. He then progressed up the ranks of multiple companies and eventually started a steel business in Pennsylvania, later to become one of the most lucrative businesses in American history. Carnegie’s drive and determination after coming to the New World were outstanding and were voiced within his Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. â€Å"There was scarcely a minute in which I could not learn something or find out how much there was to learn and how little I knew.

Critical Analysis of Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird Essay -- To Kil

Critical Analysis of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird I will present a critical analysis on the film 'To kill a Mockingbird' which is based on the award winning novel by Harper Lee. To kill a Mockingbird is a film where a courageous, warm hearted and distinguished lawyer takes a case on board to defend a black mans human rights. His compassionate defence against the civil liberties of an exceedingly marginalised black man, Tom Robinson and their human rights and individual liberties in general, cost's him friendships and the town's respect. On the other hand, he earns the love and admiration of his two children; they in particular need that awe as they have lost a mother. Even though the case had such a foregone conclusion, Academy award winning actor Gregory Peck stepped forward to defend Tom Robinson because of his passion towards the human rights and marginalising of coloured citizens. The film was set in a deprived southern town during the great depression, where so many innocent, underprivileged coloured men were wrongly accused and lynched to sinister deaths. There were many things that would have influenced Harper Lee to write the book 'To kill a mockingbird', however; there are a couple of essential factors that I think would have influenced him greatly. Firstly, the book was written during the period of the great depression, where paranoia swept the land and marginalisation was a common site. Many people like Harper lee would have mourned at the frequent sites of discrimination of the poor, religion, blacks and even the rich. However, the constant marginalisation of blacks would have driven some people crazy. T... ...oesn't get along with some of the characters in the film and loves to show her immense movements by fighting, which she does in several cases. I think the film was excellent. It was played by realistic characters and had a very sad, but truthful plot, which went together perfectly. It was a naturalistic plot with naturalistic acting styles and the actors played their parts with clarity. They made the whole film more believable and I enjoyed it. It also sent out lots of messages to the audience. For instance, we shouldn't repress and marginalise people because of appearances. We shouldn't judge anybody or anything by appearances; it's what inside what really counts. In conclusion, I think the acting styles went along with the naturalistic performance excellently and they deserve credit for it, I applaud their efforts.

Feminism in Jane Eyre Essay

Abstract: Charlotte Bronte’ masterpiece Jane Eyre symbolized a new era in the history of literature. It awakened women’s awareness to be independent. It brought about a completely new concept of marriage and of the value of life to a woman. That is marriage should base on true love, equality and respect rather than social ranks, materials or appearance. Marriage should be the combination of souls as well as bodies. The heroine of the novel Jane Eyre has successfully demonstrated the image of a woman who is intelligent, independent, kind-hearted and most importantly, brave enough to say â€Å"no† to the social conventions and live up to her principle in life. The author Charlotte Bronte is acclaimed to be a pioneer in the campaign of feminism. This essay is to explore and appreciate the spirits of feminism reflected in this novel and also reveal the limitations in demonstrating the concept of feminism. Key Words: Jane Eyre, feminism, limitations ?. Introduction: In the 19th century, women were considered to be appendages to men. Marriage and family life were the whole world to women. Women depended upon men physically, financially and spiritually. This essay is to explore and appreciate the spirits of feminism reflected in this novel Jane Eyre, whose author took the lead in the campaign of feminism. There are three parts in the process of demonstration. The first part is about the oppression laid by the four main men characters on Jane. The second part is about three main women characters and their images in this novel. The last part is to point out some limitations of the author when illustrating feminism. ?. Body 1. Men’s oppression upon women The novel was written in the early 19th century when men played a dominant role in society. Women were considered to be inferior to men. All that women were supposed to do was follow the instructions of men and be the subsidiary addition to men’s life. Four men in Jane’s life had laid oppression on her in different degrees. Jane survives the oppression and led herself constantly to her own desirable life. 1. The oppression from John Reed The first male character to oppress Jane was her cousin John Reed, who in part made little Jane live in shadow and fears when she was only a young girl. The boy hit Jane whenever he felt like only because Jane was an orphan. Poor little Jane could do nothing but bear the hurts both physically and spiritually. At last, Jane’s feelings of hatred and indignity went out of control. For the first time, Jane stood up and fought back when John hit her again. Her cry of â€Å" Wicked boy† at John declares her determination to fight against this unfair world. This quarrel and fight led to her life in Lowood in which she felt much happier. 2. The oppression from Mr. Brocklehurst Mr. Brocklehurst represents those who had firm belief in women-inferiority theory. He demanded the girls in Lowood to wear ugly or even broken clothes, eat far-from-enough harsh food and led a hard life. In his opinion, girls should lead a simple life in order to cultivate the virtue of subordination and dependence. He once insulted Jane in front of Jane’s teachers and classmates. He claimed Jane to be a wicked girl only because Mrs. Reed, Jane’s Aunt, told him so. Though depressed and heart-broken, Jane finally showed with her own deeds to her teachers and classmates that she was not a wicked girl as Mr. Brocklehurst claimed. 3. The oppression from Edward Rochester Even Edward Rochester, Jane’s lover, wanted to lay some oppression or control upon Jane. Before their marriage, he wanted to use the necklace to circle up the thoughts and feelings of Jane. He wanted the ring to restrict Jane’s actions. Further, he wanted the beautiful wedding dress to change Jane’s appearance a little bit. Though at first, out of the love for Mr. Rochester, Jane intended to give in, but in the end she refused all of them. She just wanted to act what Jane was like and preserve her own unique characteristics. 4. The oppression from St. John St. John hold absolute faith in the social convention that a woman’s value was realized only when she devoted her life to a man. He took it for granted that it was the privilege and honor of Jane to go to India with him and help his work as his wife. He thought Jane would agree with him at last because it was what a good woman should be like. Jane firmly declined this idea because she wanted a marriage based on true love and mutual understandings. 2. The image of women characters The heroine of the novel Jane Eyre has undoubtedly succeeded in building up the image of a woman who has the courage to fight against the unfair reality and pursue the equality in life. She calls for women to struggle for and be the mastery of their own lives. During the whole story, Jane serves as a positive character. By the development of Jane’s thoughts and feelings, the author conveys the spirits of feminism. Miss Blanch Ingram serves as a contract character against Jane. She represents the typical girls from noble families in that time. All she wanted was to find a rich man to depend on and get married with him. In her opinion, a woman’s duty was to make her appearance attractive and beautiful in order to win the heart of a rich man. Marriage should base on social ranks and money only and husbands and children are the whole world for a woman. Her rude behaviors and contempt upon â€Å"ordinary† people have fully illustrated her lack of cultivation and education. The image of Miss Blanch Ingram also symbolized the women victims of the social conventions. They lost their soul or even lost control of their bodies and they didn’t have the slightest idea of the value of a woman’s life. hey lived and were quite willing to live as the belongs of men. The mad women living on the 3rd floor arouses readers’ suspicion and speed up the development of the plot. In addition, she helped to turn on a new page of Jane’s life (Rosemarie Putnam Tong, 1998). Because of the terrible set by the mad woman, the Thornfield was reduced to ashes and Mr. Rochester became blind and lost one arm. Everything in the past had become history and a new chapter in Jane’s life had opened. In Ferndean Manor, a quiet and peaceful place, Jane and her beloved Mr. Rochester began to lead a new life in which Jane was no longer inferior to him and Jane’s stature has changed because she was rich thanks to the heritage from her dead uncle. 3. The limitations in demonstrating Feminism It’s beyond any doubt that Charlotte Bronte has brought about the idea of feminism in this novel but she failed to demonstrate the concept perfectly. The spirits of feminism are supposed to advocate equality between men and women (Rosemarie Putnam Tong, 1998). The reason why the author failed is she demonstrated the concept of â€Å"equality† partially. In the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester, Jane was a relatively stronger character. At the first time they met, Jane helped the injured Mr. Rochester and at the end of the novel, Jane helped Mr. Rochester to deal with his daily life because of his blindness and disability. Furthermore, Jane was rich while Mr. Rochester turned poor, old and ugly. The author seems to arrange their marriage in this kind of condition on purpose. In Jane’s preparation for her marriage when she was still a governess in Thornfield, she refused all the jewelry or beautiful dresses Mr. Rochester had prepared for her. She didn’t want to be changed into another woman. The very reason for this kind of feelings and was Her refusal of the offer is due to her strong sense of inferiority. She was poor and her social status was low at that time. The author didn’t’ arrange Jane’s marriage in the condition. Instead, Jane got married with Mr. Rochester when she was rich and Mr. Rochester was poor due to the big fire. Only in this circumstance, Jane was willing enough to marry Mr. Rochester because â€Å"I love you better now, when I can really be useful to you, than I did in your state of proud independence, when you disdained every part but that of the giver and protector† (Charlotte Bronte, 1975:451). Jane’s marriage was in fact based on a kind of incompleteness and inequality at least in terms of the couple’s physical conditions and social status. Charlotte subtly conveys the idea that feminism can be realized only in an incomplete marriage. The readers would be a little distressed when intelligent, kind-hearted and independent Jane gained her happiness in this way. The concept of feminism the author conveys to some extent goes to extremes. ? Conclusion The novel Jane Eyre successfully constituted an intelligent, kind-hearted and independent woman image. It arouses people’s awareness of feminism. The four men characters’ oppression upon the heroine Jane reveals the low social status of women in that period of time. The three women images in the novel represent different thoughts or ideas among women in that age. The novel serves as a pioneer in the cause of women’s liberation though it fails to convey the concept of â€Å" feminism† to the fullest extent because it fails due to its failure to balance the equality between men and women.

Laundry detergent Essay

A ballad A ballad is a rhyming narrative poem written in a form that can be sung to music. Ballads most often use the rhyme scheme abcb. This means that in a group of four lines, the second line rhymes with the fourth one. The first and third line do not rhyme. Here’s part of a ballad by William Blake (1757-1827). I have written the letters a, b, and c to mark the end rhymes. The Maiden caught me in the Wild,(a) Where I was dancing merrily;(b) She put me into her Cabinet,(c) And Lockd me up with a golden key. (b) Poem types – write a ballad! Topic ideas: A time you fell in love at first sight†¦ or thought you did. A car accident. A time you received bad news. Don’t tell the reader how you felt about the news. Instead, show the details of the place and situation where you heard the news, doing this in a way that expresses your feelings. Think of how, in movies, the camera zooms in on objects to create a mood. See if you can do the same thing in the poem. A Definition Of Poetry What is poetry? The question â€Å"What is poetry† used to be easier to answer. If it rhymed and had a regular meter (a type of rhythm), it probably was a poem. As they say, â€Å"If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck. † These days, not all poems rhyme or fit into standard forms. And if you look for a response to the question, â€Å"What is poetry? † you’ll find lots of musings about how extremely important and meaningful poetry is, how it’s the true essence of our world, the oxygen that keeps us alive, etc. Some of this is interesting, but most of it isn’t very helpful if what you’re looking for is an actual explanation. One reason why it’s so hard to get a straight answer on the subject is that people disagree about what should and shouldn’t be considered poetry. Here are some general differences between poetry and prose (prose is writing that’s not poetry), that you can use as a practical definition of poetry. Definition of poetry – line structure: The easiest way to recognize poetry is that it usually looks like poetry (remember what they say about ducks). While prose is organized with sentences and paragraphs, poetry is normally organized into lines. Here’s part of a poem by Robert Herrick (1591–1674). See how it looks like poetry? Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he ‘s a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he ‘s to setting. Now here’s the same part of the poem, organized in a paragraph as if it were prose. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: and this same flower that smiles to-day to-morrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, the higher he ‘s a-getting, the sooner will his race be run, and nearer he ‘s to setting. If you print a page in prose, the ends of the lines depend on where the margin is. With a bigger font size or a bigger margin, the lines are shorter. But in poetry, the poet decides where the lines end. This choice is an essential part of how we hear and see a poem. It affects how fast or slowly we read, and where we pause when we’re reading. It causes certain words to stand out more or less. It affects the way the poem looks to us on the page; for example, is there a lot of white space, giving us a feeling of lightness and air, or are the words packed solidly together? Definition of poetry – importance of physical aspects of language: Poetry, more than prose, communicates through the way the words sound and way the poem looks on the page. Think of how music can make us feel things – angry, irritable, peaceful, sad, triumphant. Poems work in the same way, but instead of sound and rhythm created by instruments, they use the sound and rhythm of words. In songs with good lyrics, the melody combines with the words to create an intense feeling. Similarly, in poetry, thesound of the words works together with their meaning for more emotional impact. The look of the poem on the page adds still another dimension. Some poems have smooth shapes, some have delicate shapes, some have heavy, dense shapes. The breaks in the lines lead our eyes to certain areas. There are even poems with shapes that intentionally imitate what the poem is about, for example, a poem about a waterfall could have lines that trickle down the page. Definition of Poetry – concentrated language: The words in poems are doing several jobs at the same time. They do one thing with their meaning, and another thing with their sound. Even their meaning may be working on more than one level. An important characteristic of poetry is compression, or concentrated language. I don’t mean â€Å"concentrated† in the sense of paying close attention. I mean it in the sense of concentrated laundry detergent, or concentrated orange juice. A half-cup of concentrated laundry detergent does the same work as a cup of regular detergent; a poem typically gets across as much meaning as a larger amount of prose. Concentrated orange juice has the water taken out; a good poem has similarly been intensified by removing the non-essential words. This is one reason why poems are often short. Definition of poetry – emotional or irrational connection: Prose normally talks to the logical part of the reader’s mind. It explains and describes things; it makes sense. Poetry does all this too, but it also tends to work at an emotional or irrational level at the same time. Often, some part of a poem seems to speak directly to the readers’ emotions. It gives readers a peaceful feeling or an eerie feeling, goosebumps, or it makes them want to cry, even though they may not be sure why they are reacting this way. One way that poems do this is through the use of sound. Poems also tend to suggest things beyond what they actually say; often what causes the strongest emotions is not what the poem describes, but what it make the reader imagine. Some parts of poems come like dreams from deep places in the mind that even the poet may not understand, and they touch something similarly deep in the reader. A few quotes on the definition of poetry Percy Bysshe Shelley: â€Å"Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar. † Here, Shelley points out an important aspect of poetry, which is to find fresh ways of looking at things we think we know well. † Sir Philip Sidney: â€Å"Poetry is a speaking picture†¦ † This idea emphasizes the physical aspect of a poem, that it’s a piece of artwork made out of words. Adrienne Rich: â€Å"Poetry is above all a concentration of the power of language, which is the power of our ultimate relationship to everything in the universe†¦. † She means â€Å"concentrated† in the sense of concentrated laundry detergent. Language, she says, is our way of relating to the universe. So by strengthening language, poetry strengthens our relationship with the universe. Jean Cocteau: â€Å"Poetry is indispensible – if I only knew what for. â€Å"