Are Romeo and Juliet responsible for their own demise Essay Example

Are Romeo and Juliet responsible for their own demise Essay William Shakespeare, regarded widely as the greatest author in history is the man behind the famous love tragedy Romeo and Juliet, which is widely represented as an ideal for young lovers. It is one of his greatest works during his prime. Written in the 16th century, the story contains the sheer power of love, fate, time, society, and family conflicts. Two passionate lovers from opposing families try to achieve the impossible by striving to unite amongst the harsh surroundings.However, they fail so miserably that they end up killing themselves but leaving a deep mark on both families so as to unite them. In this essay, I will consider the variety of reasons why the two star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet died. For one to judge how responsible the two are or the role of parents and parent substitutes are in this tragedy, other important characters and issues must also be taken into account. I will divide this essay into three main parts: Romeo, Juliet and fate (and the ones they were not responsible for) because these three were equally responsible for the catastrophic disaster.First, I shall analyse Romeo. He is definitely responsible for his own demise and in fact several others. He is as guilty as a thief. Nevertheless, there is pure evidence of his gentleness and kind heart for e.g. he fulfils Paris wish by placing his corpse adjacent to Juliets even though Juliet is his wife. It is evident that he does not intend to commence any brawls between the Capulet directly for e.g. he constantly wards off the challenge from Tybalt. The first impression we get of Romeo is the depressed type due to a harsh rejection from Rosaline. However, the thing I found quite intriguing was that it could have easily been this: Romeos solitariness that plays a key part in the huge tragedy. Since Benvolio, his kin and a good friend sympathises him very much he insists upon ceasing his emotion.The first slip-up of Romeo is by gate crashing the Capulets ball even though he knows that it is a gormless thing to do and others might misinterpret his actions. Yet Romeo constantly show signs of concern; We mean well in going with mask; But tis not wit to go. I believe Romeo should have been more uncompromising on not attending the ball but this may have been because he did want to go as Rosaline was invited too, though it does not mention anything about this.Romeo also has a presentiment that the aftermath of their actions will be atrocious. He says to Benvolio, I fear, too early; for my mind misgives/ some consequence, yet hanging in the stars. These lines also propose that the events of that night are destined to happen as suggested by the stars. This links to the prologue at the beginning of the play when Romeo and Juliet are referred as star-crossed lovers which concludes that their destiny is written in the stars, and they do not have any control over it.A great turn of event happens during the ball. According to Benvolios desires of Romeo, Romeo spots a form of beauty beyond that of Rosaline. We also start seeing Romeos true nature as initially he is in love with Rosaline and is really depressed over their relationship. But it is not long before we discover the idea of being a lover appeals to him when he quickly forgets about Rosaline as he sets eyes on Juliet for the first time; Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight, For I neer saw a true beauty till this night. He is stunned by Juliets beauty and comments on it by using colour comparisons, a white dove that stands out among the black crows; So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,As yonder lady oer her fellows shows. Shakespeare dehumanises Juliet to a dove so as to relate to her harmless peace nature since doves are harmless birds, ideally a sign of peace and so it is a mere contrast to the crows which are usually a reference to evil. Because there is a mutual bond between Romeo and Juliet, I believe Romeo still has done nothing wrong. It is only when Romeo perceives Juliets true identity via her wet nurse, Is she a Capulet? O dear account, My life is my foes debt., that he really starts to fit in the responsible perpetrator category. I believe this misfortune (finding out that Juliet is an enemy) affects him mentally and pulls out his impulsive nature.On his way home Romeos impulsiveness starts to take actions when he realises that he is so much in love with Juliet that he must somehow go back and try to find her; Can I go forward when my heart is here? Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out. It might also be because he thinks she is dismayed by his identity and so he wants to find out. I believe he is so in love with her despite meeting her for the first time because his former love was a big failure; hence, he wants this one to work for he does not want to go through fire and water like in the last one. He decides to sneak in Juliets balcony. He luckily ends up at his desired place, meets Juliet and he swears undying love and devotion.He tel ls her that he will change his name if it displeases her, Call me but love and Ill be new baptised/ Henceforth I never will be Romeo. He also says that his name is hateful to him because it makes him Juliets enemy, My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself. Because it is an enemy to thee. He further says that he would abandon the name if he had written it; Had I written, I would tear the word. The word tear is used for personification (on word) to allow us to envision how Romeo will actually go about in accomplishing it as it is much easier to imagine a thing being torn apart. Romeo asserts Juliet that love enabled him to infiltrate into her balcony; With loves light wings did I oerperch/ these walls possibly to convince her that his action was solely due to love even though it is the first time they have met.Love is personified to give a vivid picture. Romeo further ensures Juliet by preparing to risk death at the hands of Juliets kinsmen in order to see her though Juliet warns him that the place is, death considering who thou art. If any of my kinsmen find thee here. He replies that he would rather be killed by Juliets relations that postpone death which he will suffer without her love; My life were better ended by their hate, Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love. He stresses that he is prepared to defy Juliets family, thy kinsmen are not to stop me. Romeo talks very confidently, which offers Juliet to have faith in him since she is only twelve. Romeo finally tells Juliet that he is prepared to overcome any obstacles with the intention of winning Juliets love.He uses a metaphor and says that if he were a ships pilot and Juliet was far away as the farthest sea, he would sail there in order to win her; I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far/ As that far shore washed with the farthest sea, I should venture for such merchandise. Note that Romeo is also trying to say that he will achieve an impossible since he is no pilot but will still somehow sail. Juliet is dehumanised into a merchandise to emphasise her grand value (to Romeo). I think that overcoming of Romeos former love with a new one is shadowed up until now, thus the two exchange vows of love due to his desperate request. Additionally, I believe he begs her so that this new love is secured and in which he can fully commit himself to. I also think it is because he wants to erase Rosaline completely.This section is one of the most prominent one since the two are both asserted in one anothers love and both can now feel an affection and burn with passion towards one another to help them overcome any hindrance.Since they are both forbidden to have affection nor any intimate relation for each other due to their opposing families, I believe Romeo has thought about it and came to the conclusion that since they cannot hide their love for a long time, it is best to marry Juliet away and as a result he is very eager. He implores the Friar Lawrence to fulfil his destiny, I pray, / That thou c onsent to marry us today and sends word to Juliet via the nurse that they will get married that afternoon; she shall at Friar Lawrence cell/Be shrived and married. Friar Lawrences response in Romeos abstract actions was astonished. Friar points out that only yesterday he was just as deeply in love with Rosaline and that his love for Rosaline was not true: Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken?Romeo makes a vital mistake by killing his new cousin Tybalt and thus gets banished. This is the only real mistake Romeo contributes to from my point of view. It is quite reasonable to point out why Romeo does not fully explain to Tybalt on why he cannot fight him; I do protest I never injured thee, But love thee better than canst devise. He simply tells him that he loves him more than he can imagine, he does not tell him that they are now related for it would aggravate the situation. Mercutio (kinsman to the prince and Romeos friend) suddenly breaks out a fight with Tybalt. As Romeo intentionally tries to prevent the fight, Mercutio is killed by accident. Romeo seeks vengeance wherein he does not take into account of the consequence the Prince has set which he initially warned during the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt.Moreover, there is a little hint that he forgets about his promise to Juliet just before Romeo and Tybalt fight seeing that he states someone must fall in this battle to accompany Mercutio and that it can be himself, Tybalt or both; Staying for thine to keep him company. Either thou or I, or both, must go with him. A euphemism is used to convey that someone must die by substituting death to company Mercutio and go since Mercutio is already dead and so to accompany him, that certain person should also be dead. This also shows Romeos selfishness, as he had acknowledged the fact that Tybalt was a skilful swordsman so the chance of winning would be against all odds. He clearly does not think about the affect it will have on his wife if he had died. Romeo kills Tybalt not realizing that Mercutios death was a terrible contingency. This is a contrast to the Romeo we first see as, the gentle, kind-hearted one.Romeo does not wait for the Friars letter in Mantua, but decides to go straight to Juliets tomb when Balthasar (Romeos servant) informs him that she is dead; Her body sleeps in Capels monument, And her immortal part with angels lives. This is a euphemism, which I believe is used to communicate Juliets death to Romeo in a polite way. The word sleep replaces death and the fact that since her soul is with the angels, she must be dead (in heaven). However, Romeo is determined not to give in to this; Is it even so? Then I defy you, stars. The stars in astrology determine future and it has ordained that Juliet shall die and hence be parted from Romeo.His eagerness to find out Juliets cause of death overcomes to the suggestion of why she did die, thus I believe he forgets to regard the dim actions he had performed (him kil ling Tybalt) that might have somehow contributed to the terrible demise. This also indicates he has little faith in Juliet but Romeo was in a sudden shock where he possibly could not have been thinking properly. In addition, he has no faith in the Friar, given that he ensured Romeo that, he shall write to him should anything happen but he does not even think about waiting and just acts independently.Along the way, Romeo buys a poison from an apothecary. Although its illegal he persuades the apothecary by giving him a high amount of money, The world affords no law to make thee rich; Then be not poor, but break it, and take this. He intends to use this poison in where Juliet lays dead, Come, cordial and not poison, go with me/ To Juliets grave, for there must I use thee. Ultimately, he commits suicide by drinking poison when it is confirmed to him that Juliet is dead. This is also a proof that it was true love seeing that Romeo does not commit suicide for Rosaline but just gets emotio nal. Therefore, his love for Juliet contrasts to that of Rosaline.Next, I will contend that Juliet is responsible for her own death. At first, we see Juliet as a very obedient twelve year old. She calls her mother in a very formal way madam when Lady Capulet calls her and is very courteous to her in conversations. An example is when Lady Capulet asks her if she can love Paris and she replies, Ill look to like, if looking liking move, But no more deep will I endart mine eye/ Than your consent gives strength to make it fly. She basically means that she looks forward to liking Paris, if looking at him can lead her to like him but she will not get more involved (with him) than her mother approves of.The letter l is repeated to draw attention to the specific words look, like, looking and liking (alliteration). Nevertheless, all of this respect and agreement of conduct according to her mothers wishes changes in a flash after meeting Romeo in the ball. She decides to play along with Romeos flirt of saint and sins which gave a clear indication to him that she was as much as interested in him as he was in her and so he continues; And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss. Whats more, she has physical contact with him from the time when the two kiss, which elevates their affection for each other. Juliet should have prevented all of this but she chooses not to and thus edges a step closer to her own demise. She does not contemplate through all the repercussions of her actions.Similar to Romeo, Juliet still allows herself to fall in love with Romeo despite the fact that he is a foe, My only love sprung from my only hate, Too early seen unknown, and unknown too late! She means that when she saw Romeo and fell in love with him, she had no idea who he was. Now that she knows who he is, it is too late for her to change her feelings. Shakespeare repeats the word only, too and known to emphasize their importance, as Romeo is her only love (first love) which came from her only enemy (the Montague). The word too and known is repeated to notify the delay in acknowledgement. Love and Hate are both personified to give a vivid picture. The statement also suggests that it is partly not her fault since it was a Capulets ball and she would have never thought a Montague would also be present, therefore she would be inclined to think that she was engaging with a man that would have been approved by her family. It can be argued at the same time, as Juliet was only to look at Paris according to her mother.On the balcony, she admits to herself that she is in love with Romeo and says if he will swear to be her love she will stop being a Capulet; be but sworn my love and Ill no longer be a Capulet. She has no notice of Romeos presence, therefore she further comments that it would not change anything even if Romeo was called someone else for he would still be the same person; Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. This clarifies the hidden Romeo that she is not dismayed by any chance, hence he is permitted to disclose himself and fire back his love towards her. She does however when Romeo reveals himself, signify that the exchange of statement of love tonight is too soon; I have no joy of this contract tonight. It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden; Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be.The meaning haste is repeated frequently using its synonyms to highlight that it was indeed too quick and the word too is repeated for further emphasis. In addition, a comparison (simile) of the rushed action is made to lighting which is extremely fast, to make clear. Nonetheless, she agrees to take a vow of love with Romeo, I gave thee mine before thou didst request it, knowing that her parents would disapprove. She lived in a patriarchal society where the males were superior and children had no rights, but still she was willing to accept the consequences of disobeying her parents. She orders her Nurse to collect informa tion about the marriage from Romeo. She secretly marries ignoring the fact that Paris has proposed.As Juliet has completely forgotten about Paris (because of Romeo), she struggles to give her parents a satisfactory answer to why she is rejecting Paris offer. She says, He shall not make me there a joyful bride. She tries to convey her denial by cleverly using Romeo whom she knows her mother would disapprove of because he killed Tybalt and the fact that he is a Montague; I will not marry yet, and when I do, I swear/ It shall be Romeo,whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris. This can also be a pun used by Shakespeare to give a serious point from Juliets perspective since she does want to marry Romeo whereas her mother thinks she is embodying him to put across her rejection. Juliets constant rejection incurs her parents wrath and punishment. Capulet threatens to disown her if she does not marry Paris; I tell thee what, get thee to church a Thursday, Or never after look me in the face.Ju liets self-pity receives no comfort from her mother or her nurse therefore she is perplexed. Besides, she is only twelve so she seeks advice from the Friar. She complains to him that she would rather die, or be buried alive in the shroud of a dead man than marry Paris, O bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From off the battlements of any tower. She also s points out that if there is no solution to her desperate situation, then she will kill herself: Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife/ Shall play the umpire,/Be not so long to speak; I long to die,If what thou speakst speak not of remedy. Friar sympathises her and gives her a sleeping potion, they make a foolish plan hence she should have informed Romeo right away rather then the day the plan was to take place.Juliet kills herself in the tomb as she feels she has no choice. She drinks the poison given by Friar and says it is for Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Heres drink I drink to thee. She hesitates when she suddenly realise s that the plan has failed miserably and Romeo has killed himself. She refuses Friar Lawrences offer of help by hiding her in a nunnery, Ill dispose of thee/ Among a sisterhood of holy nuns. As a result, it can definitely be said that Juliet is responsible for her own demise.Lastly, I will examine fate, which from my point of view see it as the main contributor to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and in some ways, it is. However, the way the other characters act could also have helped bring the star crossed lovers lives to an end.There would be no vicar to marry the lovers if Friar Lawrence had not accepted Romeos desperate request. Being a father, he is close to God and whilst acquiring a high wit of morality he should have been able to make a wiser decision regardless of the close relationship with Romeo. Judging by Romeos past relationship with Rosaline, wherein he was agonised, and Juliet being a Capulet (an enemy to Romeo) he should have been able to give advice to Romeo and tri ed to ward him off from Juliet. Nevertheless, I think the Friar is convinced when Romeo tells him that this love with Juliet is different to his former one given that there is a mutual bond between them, I pray thee chide me not; her love now/ Doth grace for grace, and love for love allow. whereas with Rosaline, it was only he who felt something, The other did not so. (This line is subsequent to the previous quote I mentioned)The Friar acts as Romeos surrogate father, hence he possibly thinks Romeo can now finally be content from this new mutual love he has found. Besides, he presumes that it would reunite the two adversary families without thinking about the consequences, For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households rancour to pure love. I believe this is where the Friar slips up seeing that there is really no possible chance that the two families are to reunite on the basis of love. In fact, Romeo and Juliet both had a surrogate parent, thus their feelings would h ave not any impact on their parents, moreover a corporation between the two families. The other flaw from the Friar is his plan to use the sleeping potion so that Juliet could run off with Romeo while the grieving Capulets believed she was dead.The Friars plan proposes the reader that it is all going to work out at the end because he is a sage. Analysing from the earlier plan and the tight situation the two were in, they should have just given up rather than make a foolish plan. It is possible to argue that all the Friars actions were carried out with good intentions. At the end, the Friar leaves Juliet to die on her own when he hears the night watchmen ascending the tomb, Come, go good Juliet, I dare no longer stay. He does not give any sign of concern for Juliet. He simply cares about himself and his reputation, thus does no want to be involved in the incident where Romeo and Paris are both dead.The nurse also to a certain extent contributes to the death of the star-crossed lovers . The nurse nurtures Juliet from her adolescence because at that time, it was a tradition for rich wives to let wet nurse raise their infants. We can see the Nurses tender to Juliet as she tries to defend her from her furious parents (she risks the chance of being sacked), God in heaven bless her. You are to blame my lord to rate her so. and she warns Romeo about treating Juliet properly, But first let me tell ye, if ye should lead her in a fools paradise seeing that his friend Mercutio mocks her. In spite of this great fond and considering the nurse as her surrogate parent, Juliet feels she can be confided in her. Yet, all of that faith collapses when the Nurse when needed the most to comfort Juliets piteous state, directs her to marry Paris, I think it best you married with the County.O hes lovely gentleman/Your first is dead, ort were as good he were, as a result Juliet runs off to Friar Lawrence for advice. Hence, she makes an absurd plan with Friar Lawrence. I believe that the nurse advises her to marry Paris since she was blamed bitterly by Capulet for Juliets ingratitude, And why, my lady wisdom? Hold your tongue. Good prudence, smatter with our gossips, go. and so she wants to save her reputation. She claims Romeo to be dead to persuade Juliet. Further reason was that the Nurse takes no actions when discovering Juliet is in love with an enemy, she acts as a messenger and drops a ladder, allowing Romeo to spend a night with Juliet. But it can be argued as she was her nurse and was probably just trying to make Juliet content by fulfilling her wishes.Tybalt nephew to Lady Capulet should also be added to the list of people responsible for the death of Romeo and Juliet. Though he only committed one error, it was more than enough. Shakespeare presents Tybalt as a very stubborn man with a strong hatred heart against the Montagues. He more than any one else in the story keeps hatred alive between the two families because of his violence and to some extent he c an be though of as the villain of the story.In the Capulet ball, he cannot endure Romeos presence. He is desperate to attack him but surprisingly Lord Capulet prevents him from doing so, He shall be endured, What Goodman boy, I say he shall; Go to, which intensifies the situation. Also from the fact that Capulet compliments Romeo. Tybalt as expected has clearly misinterpreted Romeos attendance (he thinks Romeo has attended to the ball to make fun of the Capulets) and sends a letter to Romeo challenging him to a fight.Romeo insists as the Prince has set a death penalty to who ever starts a commotion. Tybalt insults Romeo in an attempt to provoke a fight, Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries, That thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw, but Romeo still responds calmly and will not take up the challenge. Mercutio is also there at that scene. As he is very close with Romeo, he decides to step up for him. Mercutios bravery leads to a fight with Tybalt, which leads to the death of both of them. These events also conduct to Romeos banishment. It can be argued that Mercutio was also responsible for Romeos expulsion. It is true that he initiated the fight between Tybalt but he did not intend to fight as he thought Tybalt would back down.Rosaline, Benvolio and Paris the less obvious characters can also be said to be responsible for the tragic end when analysing sparingly. It is because of Romeos depression over Rosaline that urges Benvolios sympathising sense and so Benvolio wants to take action to soothe him. He constantly recommends Romeo to forget about Rosaline and look at other girls, By giving liberty unto thine eyes. Examine other beauties. He goes as far as setting this as a challenge to find Romeo another love, Ill pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.As Rosalines name also appears in the invitation of the Capulets ball, Benvolio sees a chance and so persuades Romeo to attend the party to compare her beauty with other ladies, At this same ancient feast of Capulets/ Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lovst, With all the admired beauties of Verona Regardless of Romeos premonition and concerns, Benvolio insists on going to the ball. As a result, Romeo falls in love with Juliet which is the very start of their tragic death. His love for Rosaline is a contrast to his love for Juliet. Paris can be considered as a hindrance to Romeo and Juliets marriage.His constant proposal to Juliet incurs the clash with her parents which leads to the nurses treachery on Juliet (when she advices her to marry Paris rather than Romeo), and the dull plan of hers with the Friar. Paris love contrast between Juliets love for Romeo. She speaks with a bitter tone to Paris and uses a personification to give a vivid understanding, The tears have got small victory by that, For it was bad enough before their spite. Whereas with Romeo, she uses soft passionate words in a comforting tone, My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to th ee/ The more I have, for both are infinite.The period played a vital role too. It was set in a time when patriarchal society still existed. Therefore, we can clearly see the relationship is very distant between the two lovebird and their parents. At the start, Romeo is in a confused state because of love. His father fails to realize this, I neither know it, nor can learn of him, when Benvolio asks him what is worrying Romeo.These lines also suggest that he is not accustomed of Romeos behaviour. However, Romeo confronts the Friar about his infatuation. Simultaneously Juliet is also very formal with her parents. When Lady Capulet calls her, she replies very formally, Madam, I am here. What is your will? But as Juliet changes so does their parents. When she refuses Paris offer, their parents seem to be full of anger and rage. Her father does seem to be genuinely concerned to arrange a good match for her: Day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play. Alone, in company, still my care hath be en.To have her matched. These lines explains his overwhelming concern, whether at work or rest has been to arrange a suitable marriage for Juliet. Although he cannot understand why she is so ungrateful, Doth she not count her blessed, Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought/ So worthy a gentleman to be her bride? Though, it is unsurprising that Juliet does not confess her secret marriage to them as Capulet threatens her with violence, My fingers itch. He warns Juliet that he will disown her if she does not obey him, Get thee to church a Thursday, Or never after look me in the face. He regards Juliet as a possession that he can distribute as he sees fit: And you be mine, Ill gie you to my friend; And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, For by soul, Ill neer acknowledge thee,.These lines also tell us that Capulet would rather see Juliet dead or starving than have her disobey his commandment to marry Paris. I believe Capulet acts like this because he does not want to di sappoint Paris who is a kinsman to the Prince. In addition, by marrying his daughter with Paris, he can increase his status possibly to be more powerful than the Montague, his archenemy. I think his threats contribute to the tragic since it causes a great dilemma for Juliet, whether to be loyal to family or love. She probably feels as though Capulet meant the entire disowning bit and so she prioritises Romeo. This reason I have picked because Romeo and Juliet might have consulted their parents in which they would have to some extent allowed this unusual love if their bonding was closer.Instead, they have to have a substitute parents, Romeo tells Friar Lawrence and Juliet tells her nurse. At the end, there is a contrast to Capulets feelings towards Juliet when she is found dead in her room, alack my child is dead, And with my child my joys are buried. However, this overwhelming sorrow might be from the fact that he will have disappointed Paris and the word joy (which is personified t o give a vivid image) suggests that he can no longer be able enjoy the fact that he will be more superior than the Montague if Juliet had successfully married Paris.At the beginning of the play, we are clearly informed about the feud that subsists between the Capulets and the Montagues: from ancient grudge, break to new mutiny. Romeo and Juliet are therefore required to hide their passionate love for each other from their families because the consequences would possibly as fatal as abandoning the two should their parents find out. I believe if Romeo and Juliet had not had to obscure their love then there would not have been a tragedy. They would not have needed to take any of the desperate measures they adopt. The feud leads to several key events that facilitate in their tragic death, such as the death of Mercutio and Tybalt; these crises lead to Romeo being banished, which aggravates the situation even more.There were chains of misfortunes occuring on in this tragic play; this doub tlessly contributed to the calamity. Romeo, out of nowhere, meets Peter, who happens to be illiterate seeking help in reading the names of the people in the invitation, Perhaps you have learned it without book. But I, pray can you read anything you see? Hence, Romeo hears about the Capulet party. It could be argued that this bad luck initiates the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet because they would have never bumped into each other if Romeo had not gatecrashed the party. After the party, Romeo decides to sneak in the Capulet mansion.He could of ended up anywhere other than Juliets balcony. There they share their feelings. During Mercutio and Tybalts conflict, Romeo barges in and Mercutio is stabbed, why the devil came you, between us? I was hurt under your arm. Romeo seeks revenge on Tybalt. Just when Friar Lawrence and Juliets deceiving plan is about to fool everyone, there is a major setback. Balthasar happens to pop up at Juliets feigned funeral. He without doubt reports this inc ident to his master. After hearing this shocking news, Romeo feels he has a Hobsons choice so he commits suicide.Now all the facts have been taken into consideration, I will give my conclusions. I strongly believe that fate overall is the foremost cause of the heartbreaking story. The ball is one of the most important factors in supporting the fate assumption. Romeo discovers about it from sheer coincidence through Peter, as he is illiterate. This supplies the encounter of Romeo with Juliet. In any case, either Romeo or Juliet would not have fallen in love with each other if they had perceived the others identity in advance.Therefore, the delay in this acknowledgement is absolutely down to fate. Simultaneously there is an ancient grudge within the two households and as a result, the lovebirds cannot avoid this. In addition, Romeo ending up in Juliets balcony, his eviction and the setback in the advent of the letter, which contained Juliets cunning plan, are all part of fate. There w as nothing they could have done for fate to be prevented.

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Alcoholism has been a very important problem of the modern society and has attracted much attention from sociologists, academicians and medical practitioners since many years. Much progress has been made in either containing or lessening the adverse effects of alcoholism in adults as well as adolescents in the past few years. However, as much as there have been successes in containing the problem of alcoholism in the society, newer problems also have been creeping up that gives new challenges to social workers. One of the more recent problem of alcoholism in adults and youngsters is pre-teen alcoholism, which needs to be considered with extreme caution because the harmful effects of alcohol on children in their pre-teen years is much, more than the effects that are seen in adults or the youth. Michael Windle observes that 'the concept of alcoholism, in its most general sense, refers to a disease, or disorder, typically characterized by: (a) a prolonged period of frequent, heavy alcohol use; (b) a variety of social and/or legal problems associated with alcohol use (e.g., driving while intoxicated, impaired school/work performance); and (c) the expression of dependency symptoms (e.g., unpleasant withdrawal effects when unable to consume alcohol).' [Windle, 1998, p. 1]. In children these symptoms may manifest much easily than in adults because of their young physical condition. Deviance in relation to alcoholism is characterized by the adverse social consequences associated with drinking alcohol and includes problems in the home, at school or college, with peers, or with legal authorities. Problems in the home include such behaviors as fighting with parents about drinking and keeping away from home. Problems at school or college include attending to school drunk, or missing school because of drinking. Problems with peers include such actions including street-fights, conflicts in relationships. And problems with legal authorities inclu... Free Essays on Preteens And Alcoholism Free Essays on Preteens And Alcoholism Alcoholism has been a very important problem of the modern society and has attracted much attention from sociologists, academicians and medical practitioners since many years. Much progress has been made in either containing or lessening the adverse effects of alcoholism in adults as well as adolescents in the past few years. However, as much as there have been successes in containing the problem of alcoholism in the society, newer problems also have been creeping up that gives new challenges to social workers. One of the more recent problem of alcoholism in adults and youngsters is pre-teen alcoholism, which needs to be considered with extreme caution because the harmful effects of alcohol on children in their pre-teen years is much, more than the effects that are seen in adults or the youth. Michael Windle observes that 'the concept of alcoholism, in its most general sense, refers to a disease, or disorder, typically characterized by: (a) a prolonged period of frequent, heavy alcohol use; (b) a variety of social and/or legal problems associated with alcohol use (e.g., driving while intoxicated, impaired school/work performance); and (c) the expression of dependency symptoms (e.g., unpleasant withdrawal effects when unable to consume alcohol).' [Windle, 1998, p. 1]. In children these symptoms may manifest much easily than in adults because of their young physical condition. Deviance in relation to alcoholism is characterized by the adverse social consequences associated with drinking alcohol and includes problems in the home, at school or college, with peers, or with legal authorities. Problems in the home include such behaviors as fighting with parents about drinking and keeping away from home. Problems at school or college include attending to school drunk, or missing school because of drinking. Problems with peers include such actions including street-fights, conflicts in relationships. And problems with legal authorities inclu...

Psychological experience of leisure (in first person) Essay

Psychological experience of leisure (in first person) - Essay Example However, leisure and the role of leisure in our day lives in terms of the psychological motivations and the elements which combine together to create a sense of leisure are only a recent development in the fields of psychology and sociology. There are instances where one person may find extreme relaxation while another may suffer extreme anxiety, for example, the idea of going to a classical music recital may appeal to some but may be considered torture by others (Caldwell, 1992). The definition of leisure is a complex one since there are a numbers of ways which accurately define what leisure is. In its broadest definition, it can be understood as time left after work is done as it is explained in contemporary terms by Roberts (1999). This does not include an application of this idea to those who are retired or those who have no employment to take up the majority of their time. Additionally, there can be situations where work itself becomes so absorbing and entertaining that it falls under the heading of Leisure (Haworth & Lewis, 2005). Therefore a personal definition of leisure is important and it can be said that a person intrinsically knows when they have experienced leisure as opposed to work that is mentally or physically draining. Additionally, a leisure activity may be influenced by guilt associated with indulgence and avoidance of work which might alter the nature of the experience as well as the quality (Bà ©rubà ©, 2005). In fact, Haworth and Lewis (2005) make the point that research on leisure should be conducted on an experiential basis focusing on the positive dimensions of the leisure experience by including aspects of motivation, autonomy and personal enjoyment. Such an experience of leisure would also cover serious leisure as discussed by Stebbins (2004), who differentiates between the forces of work, leisure and

The British involvement in the trade of slaves Essay

The British involvement in the trade of slaves - Essay Example The British involvement in the trade of slaves Various British colonies include the thirteen states of the United States of America that were mainly on the eastern side, Canada, India, Eastern Africa, South Africa, and Australia. All this different colonies had a contribution to make in the development of slavery. Some colonies were the source of the slaves, while others especially in the areas that had major industrial revolution were the destinations of the slaves. An analysis of the participation of different British colonies reveals how they participated in the development of slavery and how they affected its development. Britain had thirteen colonies in the North America regions that contributed a lot to the development of slavery. This States included Virginia, Massachusetts, Carolinas, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, to mention but a few. This is because the economies of these states were majorly dependent on slavery as a way to get cheap labor to work in the vast plantations of tobacco and cotton. The growth of tobacco had become family based, making the demand of slaves to increase since each homestead that planted tobacco required slaves. Industrialization was also expanding in the thirteen British colonies in the Northern side of America. This influenced the need of more slaves for the purpose of performing the hard labor of constructing the factories and working in the harsh conditions of the factories. One thing that was true about slavery in the British colonies within America is that it had a racial trait attached to it.

Development in Oil and Gas Retail Industries Essay

Development in Oil and Gas Retail Industries - Essay Example 53 percent of energy European Union consumes comes from its imports that have affected trade balance of because of high imports of fossil fuel (Daly, 2014). Therefore, the union look forwards for reduction in energy dependency in order to enhance energy security, reduce the import bills and affordable energy, to ensure consistency to meet climate and industrial objectives for 2050 (Schweitzer, 2014). The main objective of the European Union is to reduce the dependency of the energy, improve energy security and power system. Russia has been of the major supplier of energy to European Union over the past decades. One-third of the gas demands of European Union are being delivered by Russia. In the EU-Russian Summit heal on 2000; the energy was one of the prominent aspects that were chosen to be a potential lead for the integration of the bilateral relationship (Ehrlich, 2013). The economic and industrial coronation between different nations including European Union has significantly developed through these years. However, the thousands of Russian companies are developing and have created interdependency of energy supply for European Union. Agreement on the global climate and energy targets has emerged to be one of the significant elements in globalization that has to be effectively addressed. Recently, at the European Summit that held on March 20th the government leader were suppose to agree with the climate and energy target of 2030 (Tindale, 2014). However, they discussed more about the energy dependency on Russia, Ukraine and Crimea. The Russian Annexation of Crimea has emerged to be one of the debatable issues in the current political meetings. It is because the high dependency of Europe on Russian Energy that has to be effectively addressed (Tindale, 2014). Russian is one on of the largest supplier of gas to European Union due to

Constructs of Orientalism and Stereotyping Eastern Women

Constructs of Orientalism and Stereotyping Eastern Women According to Edward Said, the West constructs a notion of the East as â€Å"other,† through orientalism which turns the East into a place to be feared or desired as an image of the Wests imagined â€Å"otherness.† as noted in the work of Peter Brooks Mahabarata, and contemporary films like we have seen in Avatar, or of practitioners that subvert and challenge orientalist perception found in the West, as we have seen in M Butterfly. Through an examination of performance from at least two different cultures, show how the theatre is used to either exotify the other in a kind of â€Å"Oriental Gaze,† and the work of other contemporary practitioners who wish to challenge these â€Å"otherings† of a culture. Introduction The phenomenon of orientalism in art and literature is one of the most historical and cultural phenomena. The idea of orientalism played an important role in literature of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century in Europe, It was more widely referring to the portraying of the East by Western artists, as the fascination with the orient influenced many of the romantic writers who situated novels and poetry about the mysterious Eastern lands and also dazzled many famous painters who were surprised and impressed by the charm and beauty of the East. These painters translated that fascination in their paintings using many methods, while some of them painted what they actually saw and experienced in the East, others painted their imagination about the myths and magical tales of the mysterious East. The East became an interesting destination for travellers, many of whom went on to write about and paint their experiences in the exotic lands among unfamiliar peoples and customs. In arts in gene ral, the orient became associated with beautiful landscapes, eroticism and mystery. Many scholars place the beginning of postcolonial studies in history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and arts at the publication of Saids orientalism, published in 1978. Said focuses his attention in this work on the interplay between the Occident which refer to the West and the Orient, which refer to the East. In this essay I will explore the meaning of the other and otherness from the perspective of the European gaze. I will try to find out how the west sees the east by focusing on their image of the eastern women through theatre as it is one of the important arts that reflect the community gazes, by analyzing the â€Å"Veil† symbol and it representation through Oscar wild play â€Å"Salome† and the â€Å"Fan† symbol through Puccinis opera â€Å"M. Butterfly†. As well as I will show how some practitioners subvert and challenge orientalist perception in the West and also how they sometimes fall victims to the stereotyping in the middle east of the challenges. Orientalism Orientalism broadly defined, as the representation of the Eastern world by the western world, more deeply, as the study of the Orient by western scholars and their evaluation of its social and moral values, and its future prospects. The beginning of oriantalism perception was in the 19th century by scholars who translated some writings of the East into English, in order to know more about the Eastern cultures which will empower the west with knowledge of how to conquer and defeat the Eastern countries (Sered, 1996). By the mid-19th century oriental studies expanded and became important to many scholars. However, racist attitudes and stereotypes have become inherent to this cultural movement. The West saw the Eastern art and literature as exotic and inferior to their ideals. Many critical theorists pointed out that there is much that can be learned about the Wests image of itself through the way Western writers have portrayed the orient The idea of the oriental as the â€Å"Other,† or the mysterious unknown, reflects the European concerns about ones own identity (Byington, 2001). Orientalism is a way of thinking about the East as strange, exotic, dark, mysterious, erotic and dangerous, and has helped the West to define itself through this contrasting image. The west had always seen the East as inferior and to rationalize the colontiastion of the East, they had to define eastern people as despotic or stagnant and in need of Christianizing, civilizing or controls (Hà ¼binette, 2002). Edward Said and Orientalism Orientalism is a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between the Orient and (most of the time) the Occident†¦ In short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient. (Said, 1978) The most influential critique on orientalism came in 1978 with Edward Said. He managed to attack the oriental perception not only to our notions of the ways in which the West constructs representations and portraitures the East but, to how the ideology of Othering is facilitated through Art and literature in his book â€Å"Orientalism†. According to Said, the West has created a â€Å"dichotomy† between the reality of the East and the romantic notion of the Orient. The Middle East and Asia are viewed with prejudice and racism. The West has created a culture, history, and future promise for the East. On this framework rests not only the study of the Orient, but also the political imperialism of Europe in the East. He discussed the dialectical relationship between Occident and Orient as is a manifestation of â€Å"us versus them† (Said 1978). Said argued that Orient and Occident worked as oppositional terms, so that the Orient was constructed as a negative inversion of Western culture. He studied many works of European scholars and writers specialized in the peoples of the Middle East in order to denounce the relations of power between the colonizer and the colonized in their texts. Said thinks that by knowing the Orient, the West came to own it. So according to Said, it is imperialism which motivated orientalism. Without imperialism, westerners would never have study near and Far-Eastern societies and culture (Sered, 1996). Said asserts that according to the Occidentals, the Orientals had no history or culture independent of their colonial masters. Orientalism is more an indicator of the power the West holds over the Orient, than about the Orient itself. After Said, numerous studies have been published on the different orientalisms of the West that various countries and cultures of Asia have suffered. Among many orientalists, Said ´s book provoked angry and sometimes even hateful responses, while others declared themselves ready for a fundamental change of attitude towards Asia and the Asians, their objects of study. Said ´s theory of orientalism has also provided feminists and post-colonial theorists with a general method of understanding the nature of oppression (Hà ¼binette, 2002) Said argued that the West has stereotyped the East in art and literature, since antiquity such as the composition of The Persians by Aeschylus so in modern times, Europe had dominated Asia politically that even the most outwardly objective Western texts on the East were permeated with a bias that Western scholars could not recognize. Western scholars appropriated the task of exploration and interpretation of the Orients languages, history and culture for themselves, with the implication that the East was not capable of composing its own narrative. They have written Asias past and constructed its modern identities from a perspective that takes Europe as the norm, from which the exotic, inscrutable Orient deviates. Said concluded that Western writings about the Orient depict it as an irrational, weak, feminised Other, contrasted with the rational, strong, masculine West, a contrast he suggests derives from the need to create difference between West and East that can be attributed to immutable essences in the Oriental make-up. A mean of expressing cultural and social identity The term oriantalism was increasingly used by sociologists and other scholars since the 1990s, to refer to ethnocentrism, stereotyping, and cultural representations of the Eastern societies (Chua, 2008). Orientalism became a way of thinking about the world and the cultures that inhabit it. It acquires global significance through the identification and provision of these cultures in ways that support, even promote, on a political and economic superiority of the West. Edward Said, pointed out in his definition of Orientalism that the Orient is â€Å"almost a European invention, a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiences† (Said, 1978). He also pointed that the Orient helped the West to define itself, as it consider to be a contrasting image in terms of people, ideas, experiences, etc. As Orientalism lives on in the academic world, many writers, ideologues, journalists, political, historians, poets, painters, moviemakers and others contributed to the Orientalist vision of the world, they justify that by the impossibility of studying the Orient, without being influenced by Orientalism. The other and the otherness The other can be defined as the image outside oneself, each different yet somehow the same and, therefore, connected by their reflection. It can also be understood within the double of self and can be seen as organizing the very existence of individual subjects. While otherness is the condition of being different from that otherwise experienced or known (1). The term The other is usually used by social, ethical, cultural, or literary critics, they use this term in order to understand the social and psychological ways in which one group excludes or marginalizes another group. By using the term â€Å"other†, the persons begin to notice the dissimilarity from another, and this is usually shown in the way they represent others, especially through stereotypical images. The West used these terms to identify what they didnt understand about the Eastern culture as the contemporary preoccupation with other and otherness in the west which represents a concern for personal identity. But in order to understand the Eastern culture they had to exclude them from the normality and surrounding them with mystic cloud thus the focusing on â€Å"otherness† became a way of understanding the cultures differences more than similarities ((Portis, 2009). Portrayal of the Orient in arts In the nineteenth century, when more artists travelled to the Middle East, they began representing more numerous scenes of Oriental culture. In many of these works, they portrayed the Orient as exotic, colourful and sensual. Such works typically concentrated on the Middle East countries. French artists such as Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres who painted many work portraying the Middle East culture. When Ingres, painted a highly coloured vision of a Turkish bath, he made his eroticized Orient publicly acceptable by his diffuse generalizing of the female forms. Even so, in contrast to Eugà ¨ne Delacroix who had visited an Algerian harem in person which after he painted the Algerian harem, Ingres never travelled to Africa or the Middle East to see such subjects in person, and the courtesans shown are more Caucasian and European than Middle Eastern or African in appearance. For Ingres the oriental theme was above all a pretext for portraying the female nude in a passive and sexual context. Exotic elements are few and far between in the image musical instruments, a censer and a few ornaments (Elif, 2008). In Theatre, Madam Butterfly and Mikado are considering examples to the oriental perception to the Far East. As Gilbert and Sullivan in Mikado and Puccinis Madam Butterfly -which is based on a short story written by John Luther Long and dramatized by David Belasco- depict Japanese culture musically and dramatically. They used Western musical views of Japanese and Oriental music in both plays as well as they used the western stereotyping of the Japanese people as the costumes, white faces, hair design, etc. without presenting the true nature of this culture. These performances played on stereotypical Western views of the Far East in general and the Japanese culture in particular. Moreover, in movies, Arabs were largely romanticized and viewed as exotic and part of an alluring orientalism during the 1940s. The rich Arab in robes became a more popular theme, especially during the oil crisis of the 1970s. In the 1990s the Arab terrorist became a common villain figure in Western movies. The images of women in East Many scholars who wrote about or painted the East didnt really visit or experienced the Eastern culture, they just interpreted what they imagined, that inherent the image of the Eastern people, in particular the women, with stereotyping. Asian women have been portrayed as prostitutes, aggressive, opportunistic sexual beings and predatory gold diggers using their feminine to get what they want (Hofstede, 1996). Also Arab women were usually portrayed as exotic belly dancers or mute, subservient, and repressed. Western film and literature has continually portrayed such stereotypes of Eastern women. Stereotypes of Asian women There are lots of terms portraying the stereotyping of the Asian women such as the â€Å"Dragon Lady† which was portrayed as a strong, cold and ferocious woman who was knowledgeable in the art of sexual pleasure unknown to the Western world. Another is the â€Å"China Doll† stereotype which portrays Asian women as subservient, compliant and anxious to please. It also identified all Asian women as Chinese. From the perspective of the west, Asian women are meant to be seen and played with as a doll. In Western culture, The â€Å"Geisha† is seen as a prostitute or sex entertainer, this stereotype indicates that Eastern women are valued and used for their bodies for aesthetic pleasure. On the contrary, a Geisha in Japanese culture is a kind of an artist. They are trained in developing certain social skills such as dancing, singing, tea-making, conversing and serving to be an artistic entertainer not prostitute (Prasso, 2005). Also there are other terms refer of stere otyping the Asian women suggesting that they are sexually available to foreign white men as â€Å"Yellow cab†, â€Å"Sarong party girl and Comfort Women There is lots of stereotyping to the Asian women from the western perspective that harmed their identity; all these stereotypes perceptions depended on how the West misunderstands the East, Asian women are usually portrayed as beautiful, sexually available, exotic, and loyal but submissive. According to Elaine Kim a Professor of Asian American Studies, the stereotype of Asian women as submissive has hindered Asian womens economic mobility. Stereotypes of the Middle East women From decades, separation between nations and individuals has been maintained by very powerful symbolic boundaries leads us, symbolically, to close ranks culture and to stigmatize and expel anything which is defined as impure, strangely attractive precisely because it is forbidden, taboo, threatening to cultural order (Hall, 1997). Since the first contacts with the Arab world, the West has developed a set of stereotypes depicting Arabs as uncivilized and violent. As with the spread of colonization during the 19th century, an organized scholarship devoted to the representation of ‘Otherness emerged as a defining moment in this cross-cultural history (Hirchi, 2007). The stereotypical representations of Arabs and Muslims are often manifested in literature, media, theatre and other creative expressions. Arabs and Muslims in TV and movies are often involving themes associated with violence. As the words â€Å"Muslim† or â€Å"Arab† is connected with the image terrorist and bomb-making or sometimes refer to the wealthy oilmen. An Arab woman is usually represented, a belly dancer, sex objects, whore, terrorist or subservient, imprisoned behind a veil of powerlessness (Shaheen, 1988). Even in cartoons which is consider to be aimed at children is full of negative images of Arab women which portray them as belly dancers, exotic and harem girls, (Wingfield and Karaman, 1995). These stereotypes dont only harm the psychological and cultural part of the Eastern civilisation but also helps dehumanizing a group first before attacking it (Qumsiyeh, 1998). Salome as a representative of the Arab women For decades Salome figure has became a representation of the Arab women. The west used to see the Arab women evil, seductive, belly dancers, nudes and that was shown in lots of arts work of that time which is considers stereotyping to the Arab women. The origin of Salome story and her famous dance came from the Bible: But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he vowed to give her anything she wanted. Consequently, at her mothers urging, the girl asked for John the Baptists head on a tray. The king was grieved, but because of his oath, and because he didnt want to back down in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. (Matthew 14:6-11) Herodias chance finally came. It was Herods birthday and he gave a stag party for his palace aides, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. Then Herodias daughter came in and danced before them and greatly pleased them all. Ask me for anything you like, the king vowed, even half of my kingdom, and I will give it to you! She went out and consulted her mother, who told her, Ask for John the Baptists head! So she hurried back to the king and told him, I want the head of John the Baptist right now on a tray! Then the king was sorry, but he was embarrassed to break his oath in front of his guests. So he sent one of his bodyguards to the prison to cut off Johns head and bring it to him. The soldier killed John in the prison, and brought back his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl and she took it to her mother. (Mark 6:21-28) In reading the Biblical description, we find out that there is no specification of the kind of dance Herodias daughter did. Nothing claim that her dance involved veils, or the removal of clothing, or seduction. Actually there is no proof in the bible story that the death of John the Baptist is linked to the seductive seven veils striptease. In 1891, Oscar Wilde wrote his play Salomà © based on the origin story in the bible. Wildes play portrays Salomà © as an evil character who becomes obsessed with John the Baptist (Elliot, 2002). Herod: Do not rise, my wife, my queen, it will avail thee nothing. I will not go within till she hath danced. Dance, Salomà ©, dance for me. Herodias: Do not dance my daughter. Salomà ©: I am ready, Tetrarch. [Salomà © dances the dance of the seven veils.] (Wilde, 1891) The script of the play does not specify that the dance must be seductive or a consisting any striptease of veils. In the beginning of the 20th century, the fascination with the Middle East become at its peak, the writers and painters saw the story of John the Baptist as a good example of the orient from their perspectives the story had all the elements that make for public interest sexual overtones as murder, politics and the seductive dance. However, the dance of the seven veils has never been a part of Middle Eastern dance traditions, and is not performed in the Middle East today. But it was invented by western, and has been preserved for entertainment reasons. The veil which is just only a piece of cloth is marked as a part of mystery and myth. It is both part of the culture and the imaginations of people in the East. The veil and the harem symbols have always fascinated the Western people. They were prevented from seeing and communicating with Arab women and that produced feelings of frustration and aggressive behaviour. Furthermore, the veil has provided men with the fantasy of exotic and erotic experiences with the beauty behind the veil (Mabro, 1991). In the Middle East, the veil was and still is a modesty garment which is worn to protect a respectable Muslim woman from the prying eyes of male strangers. May be it is used in some dance performance but without the incorporate removal of seven veils until the dancer stands totally nude. To conclude Salome is seen as an oriental misrepresentation to the Middle East women from the perspective of the Western. This misrepresentation have harmed the image of the true nature of the Middle Eastern women as they were seen as evil, belly dancers, seductive and nude with no respect to their own identity and religion. And the veil become associated to that mis representation as it become a seductive tool linked with nudity. M. Butterfly as a representative of the Asian women â€Å"Female sacrifice narratives can be traced back to biblical tales like the story of Ruth, who gives up everything for the sake of her husband who has a culture and religion different from her own. In America Pocahontas tales, which call for the sacrifice of the woman of color for the sake of white men, have been common. However, the Japanese Madame Butterfly has become the best known modern manifestation of this type of narrative.† (Marchetti, 1993) Madame Butterfly is an opera by Giacomo Puccini. He based his opera in part on the short story Madame Butterfly (1898) by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco. Puccini also based it on the novel Madame Chrysanthà ¨me (1887) by Pierre Loti. Puccinis Madame Butterfly is a tragic story of love, betrayal and a young mother ultimate sacrifice. It is a story and myth lies at the heart of Western perceptions of Japanese women as passive, selfless, and dedicated completely to their husbands and families. The work reveals numerous stereotypes and prejudices of the Western world concerning oriental culture. It become an icon and myth of the Japanese woman as the ideal of loving self-sacrificing, devoted wife to a Western husband. â€Å"Despite the changes and the increasing independence of Japanese women in the nineties, the dated Western stereotypes of Japanese women remain firmly entrenched in print, broadcasted, and film media. In the latter, especially, Japanese women are still routinely depicted with painted faces and geisha attire†¦.The prototype for all of these images was Cio-Cio-San in Puccinis Madame Butterfly†¦ This classic portrayal has no doubt had a long-lasting effect on the psyche of Western males. The compliance and gentleness attributed to Japanese women have long struck a responsive chord in men used to self-assertive, confrontational, and independent Western women† (Ma, 1996) There are lots of visual elements in this performance that contributed in the stereotyping process of the Asian women as the hair style, white face makeup, scenograph of the place and most important, the costumes which are the kimonos of the main character of the play, Madam butterfly. The west attempts to understand Japan through the metaphor of the kimono. The kimono was inherent to the Asian culture for decades. There are many types and styles of kimono which are worn depending of the formality of the occasion, the age of the wearer, their marital status, time of day, and time of season. In addition to colours and styles, the way kimono is worn differs between whether it is a single or married woman. All of these factors come into play when deciding what kimono is appropriate to wear and how to wear it which means that the kimono is not just a dress but its a culture. The West has treated this culture by great contempt, as any shape of kimono represent the Asian women regardless this kimono culture. (Goldstein , 1999) To conclude, Madam Butterfly helped stereotyping Asian women by surrounding them by the fence of isolation. It has become a representation of the cultural identity and a misrepresentation associated with submission, fragility, and femininity. And by dealing with the kimono as a representation symbol of that culture it became associated to these concepts. As if Madame Butterfly didnt wear the kimono a lots of concepts and stereotyping perception could change. Contemporary representation History reveals that western arts have humiliated, demonized, and eroticized Arab women. These images inherited and embellished western pre-existing Arab stereotypes. In the 18th and 19th centurys western artists and writers offered fictional renditions of women as bathed and submissive exotic object. The stereotype came to be accepted as valid, becoming an indelible part of European popular culture. Nowadays the Arab women in western arts still trapped in the siege of being veiled, silent or a terrorist. While the Asian women representation changed a little as female characters in movies or TV dramas have shifted from obedient weak girls to strong, intelligent, working women. David Henry Hwang change attempt in his M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang is a contemporary Asian American playwright his play is a deconstruction of Puccinis opera Madame Butterfly. Hwang play shows that gender roles provide people with an identity based on determining the â€Å"other† and being the opposite. The actual categories of what we consider to be male and female exist only in our minds as ways to identify ourselves. Madame Butterfly is not just a story about love relations or the homosexuality; it is more than that where it raises themes as sexuality, ethnicity, imperialism and race. Madame Butterfly is consider one of the most important play in terms of challenging the political, social and cultural identities of the West over the last decade, This play forces its Western audience to deal differently with Eastern stereotypes involving sexual orientation, gender, and culture, especially those stereotypes issued by the myth of Orientalism (Burns Hunter, 2005). In Hwang play, the reason that Gallimard failed to discern that his lover was a man can be attributed to the cultural stereotype imposed by the West on the East. The West thinks of itself as masculine while it regards the East as feminine, â€Å"weak, delicate, poor but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom — the feminine mystique.† (Hwang, 1988).The West expects Oriental women to be submissive to Western men. Also the themes of racism and sexism are linked. Thus, even Eastern men are feminized. As Song puts it, â€Å"being an Oriental, I could never be completely a man.† At the end of the play, the Hwang reversed the roles of Gallimard and Song; he began to demolish the racial and sexual stereotypes that he has been steadily exposing from the beginning. Gallimard, exploited, loving, betrayed, becomes like Butterfly, while Song is revealed not only as a man but also as a deceiver like Pinkerton in Puccinis Madame Butterfly who was never what he appeared to be. He wanted to show the Western audience that stereotypes are not only dangerous, they are also false. Conclusion It is important to say that the East had fascinated the Western and became a new source of inspiration for the artists, as painting, literature, theatre, movies and other creative arts. A new artistic movement, Orientalism, was born from this fascination. However, Orientalism in the 19th century was not always representative of what and how the East really was. Many distortions and stereotypes existed, and that led to some criticisms from scholars like Edward Said who didnt agree of how the west stereotype the East without real understands to the Eastern cultures. The West treated the East as inferiors in order to have the right to colonize them; their justification was that the East has to be civilized by the hand of the West. The stereotypical images of the Eastern women which was and still promoted by the Western media has a great effect on the culture image in general and the economic mobility in particular, as this stereotyping had harmed the tourism in the Middle East as it a t errorist countries as well as created the sex tourism in the Far East it exotic countries.

Divorce Laws in The United States Essay -- Law

â€Å"Divorce is a decree by a court that a valid marriage no longer exists. It leaves both parties free to remarry. The court will award custody, divide property, and order spousal and child support† (The American Bar Association 71). â€Å"†¦till death do us part† is almost always heard at wedding ceremonies. But all too often this phrase does not represent its true meaning. Between 1960 and 1999 the divorce rate in the United States tripled (Porterfield vii). Out of all first time marriages, 41% end in divorce (Divorce Rate). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for every 1,000 people, 6.8 get married and 3.4 of those marriages will end in divorce (Marriage and Divorce). The Family Legal Guide from The American Bar Association confirms that of the couples who marry before the age of forty-five, one-half of them will get divorced (71). These numbers do not seem to be decreasing. They only seem to be increasing as time goes on. If two people can no longer find it in themselves to be passionate towards one another and they no longer desire the others company, they should end their marriage. However, the growing number of divorces is proving that getting a divorce in the United St ates is too easy. The evidence proves that divorce laws should be made stricter throughout the United States. Every divorce is different. Some divorces involve children. Some only involve the couple. Some have step children or half children. Some include hostile situations. Some are peaceful. Some are for valid reasons. Some are simply because the couple does not feel like being together anymore. Some are mutual. Some are not. So why is every divorce so quickly done and so easily obtained? A number of states allow do-it-yourself divorces.... ...2. â€Å"Marriage and Divorce.† Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. Porterfield, Kay Marie. Straight Talk about Divorce. New York: Facts on File, 1999. Print. Portnoy, Ph.D. Sanford. â€Å"A Lawyer’s Primer Part 1- The Effects of Divorce on Adults.† Ed. Ron Brown. The Psychology of Divorce. 1(2006): 1-7. Print. Russo, Francine. â€Å"Can The Government Prevent Divorce?† The Atlantic. Oct. 1997. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Shapiro v. Thompson. 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication Data. U.S. Supreme Court. 21 Apr. 1969. Print. Tavernise, Sabrina, and Robert Gebeloff. â€Å"Once Rare in Rural American, Divorce is Changaing the Face of Its Families.† www.Nytimes.com. The New York Times. 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. The American Bar Association. Family Legal Guide. 3rd ed. New York: Random House, 2004. 71-88. Print.

Exam 1 Study Guide

Midterm 1 Practice Questions (Acct 201 Fall 2012) 1. Retained earnings at the end of the period is equal to a. retained earnings at the beginning of the period plus net income minus liabilities. b. retained earnings at the beginning of the period plus net income minus dividends. c. net income. d. assets plus liabilities. 2. Pinson Company began the year with retained earnings of $550,000. During the year, the company recorded revenues of $600,000, expenses of $380,000, and paid dividends of $140,000. What was Pinson’s retained earnings at the end of the year? a. 910,000 b. $630,000 c. $1,010,000 d. $480,000 3. Patent would appear in which balance sheet section? a. Intangible assets b. Investments c. Property, plant, and equipment d. Current assets 4. A balance sheet shows a. revenues, liabilities, and stockholders’ equity. b. expenses, dividends, and stockholders’ equity. c. revenues, expenses, and dividends. d. assets, liabilities, and stockholders’ equit y. 5. For 2012 Fielder Corporation reported net income of $30,000; net sales $400,000; and average share outstanding 12,000. There were no preferred stock dividends.What was the 2012 earnings per share? a. $2. 33 b. $0. 40 c. $33. 33 d. $2. 50 6. Use the following data to determine the total dollar amount of assets to be classified as current assets. Koonce Office Supplies Balance Sheet December 31, 2012 Cash$ 130,000Accounts Payable$ 140,000 Prepaid Insurance60,000Salaries Payable20,000 Accounts Receivable100,000Mortgage Payable 160,000 Inventory 140,000 Total Liabilities$320,000 Land held for Investment150,000 Land180,000 Buildings$200,000Common Stock$240,000 Less AccumulatedRetained Earnings 500,000Depreciation(40,000)160,000 Total Stockholders’ Equity$740,000 Trademarks 140,000 Total Liabilities and Total Assets$1,060,000 Stockholders’ Equity$1,060,000 a. $580,000. b. $430,000. c. $360,000. d. $290,000. 7. Using the following balance sheet and income statement data , what is the total amount of working capital? Current assets$ 14,000Net income$ 24,000 Current liabilities8,000Stockholders’ equity42,000 Average assets 80,000Total liabilities18,000 Total assets 60,000 Average common shares outstanding was 10,000 a. $ 2,000 b. $14,000 . $ 4,000 d. $ 6,000 8. Stockholders’ equity is increased by a. dividends. b. revenues. c. expenses. d. liabilities. 9. McKinney Corporation had beginning retained earnings of $2,292,000 and ending retained earnings of $2,499,000. During the year they issued common stock totaling $141,000. What was their net income for the year? a. $207,000 b. $ 66,000 c. $348,000 d. $273,000 10. The purchase of an asset by paying cash a. increases assets and stockholders’ equity. b. increases assets and liabilities. c. decreases assets and increases liabilities. d. eaves total assets unchanged. 11. Which of the following accounts has a normal debit balance? a. Accounts Payable b. Prepaid Rent c. Retained Earning s d. Common Stock 12. When a company has performed a service but has not yet received payment, it a. debits accounts receivable and credits revenue from services. b. debits revenue from services and credits accounts receivable. c. debits revenue from services and credits accounts payable. d. makes no entry until the cash is received. 13. When a company receives a utility bill but will not pay it right away, it should . debit Utilities Expense and credit Accounts Receivable. b. debit Utilities Expense and credit Accounts Payable. c. debit Accounts Payable and credit Utilities Expense. d. make no entry until the bill is paid. 14. In a service-type business, revenue is considered earned: a. at the end of the month. b. at the end of the year. c. when the service is performed. d. when cash is received. 15. The following is selected information from L Corporation for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2011. Cash received from customers| $300,000| Revenue earned | 370,000|Cash paid for exp enses| 170,000| Cash paid for computers on November 1, 2010 that will be used for 3 years| 48,000| Expenses incurred including any depreciation| 216,000| Proceeds from a bank loan, part of which was used to pay for the computers| 100,000| Based on the accrual basis of accounting, what is L Corporation’s net income for the year ending October 31, 2011? a. $184,000 b. $154,000 c. $152,000 d. $170,000 16. Boyce Company purchased office supplies costing $5,000 and debited Office Supplies for the full amount.At the end of the accounting period, a physical count of office supplies revealed $1,400 still on hand. The appropriate adjusting journal entry to be made at the end of the period would be: a. debit Office Supplies Expense, $3,600; credit Office Supplies, $3,600. b. debit Office Supplies, $1,400; credit Office Supplies Expense, $1,400. c. debit Office Supplies Expense, $1,400; credit Office Supplies, $1,400. d. debit Office Supplies, $3,600; credit Office Supplies Expense, $3, 600. 17. On January 1, 2010, Leardon Inc. urchased equipment for $45,000. The company is depreciating the equipment at the rate of $600 per month. At January 31, 2010, the adjusting entry would be: in Accumulated Depreciation is: a. debit Accumulated Depreciation $600 b. credit Accumulated Depreciation $600 c. cebit Equipment $600 d. credit Depreciation Expense $600 18. The closing entry process consists of closing: a. all asset and liability accounts. b. out the Retained Earnings account. c. all permanent accounts. d. all temporary accounts.

Asylum Seekers essays

Asylum Seekers essays more embarrassment for Govt over Manoora asylum seekers the asylum seeker stand-off in Nauru is back to square one, despite what appeared to be a deal between Australian and Nauruan authorities. Earlier tonight, officials from both countries boarded the HMAS Manoora but a little over an hour ago, they returned to shore empty-handed. The lack of progress this evening is an embarrassing set-back for the Australian Government, which had earlier said it wanted to bring a number of asylum seekers ashore tonight. TONY JONES: Ben Wilson joins me on the line now from Nauru. Ben, I believe you've been hearing from the spokesperson for the Nauruan Government. What has he said? BEN WILSON: The take from what happened tonight, off the coast, on board HMAS Manoora, is that the group of asylum seekers they planned to bring ashore tonight weren't ready to leave the ship and, as a result, the Nauruan delegation which went out to the ship with the brief of ensuring that anyone leaving the ship was doing so voluntarily and the Australian officials came back empty-handed. They were preparing a landing craft which has been bringing asylum seekers to shore over the past week or so - it was backed up to the loading dock on the Manoora. There were minibuses on the dock ready to receive them. There was the obligatory crowd of curious Nauruans looking on. As the hours ticked by, it became clear that no-one was coming off. It indicates that there are problems convincing this group to come ashore. TONY JONES: Just to recap on what this deal means - the Nauruan officials I believe will ask each and every person whether they agree to come off. The agreement was forged this afternoon in discussions with Australian officials, after the scenes of yesterday where there were scuffles, pushing, shoving and yelling as 12 asylum seekers were brought ashore. The Nauruan Government quickly brought the whole transfer operation to a halt. It had said ...

History Example

History Example History – Term Paper Example The Distribution of Income and Wealth Income and wealth in the United s appears to have a complicated history. While Walton and Rockoff (1997) suggest that inequality has come from the rich getting more in real terms while the working class is being marginalized, it must be noted that real incomes along with worker productivity has also increased with time. The chapter itself concerns with economic progress and the development of wealth therefore it is only logical that their economic survey shows how the distribution of wealth changed with time.In essence, it seems that the political and economic ideologies of the prevailing times dictated who gained and who lost in the American economic system. While looking at the broader picture it is easy to agree with Walton and Rockoff (1997) when we consider the data and analysis provided by Krugman (2006) who shows how political realities have affected incomes and wealth. Regarding the distribution of income and wealth, I can agree that the data reveals more about inequality between the rich and the poor rather than equality between Americans. With the given data, it seems that the levels of material wealth and the financial well being for colonial Americans was not equally distributed. For example, In the Southern states, 70% of the total wealth was held by the top five percent of the total population. Understandably, a growing inequality in wealth and income followed the very process of colonial settlement but other factors also have to be included in the equation. It becomes easy to agree with the suggestions given by Walton and Rockoff (1997) concerning the occupation, marital status, and property ownership as indications of one’s standing in the social order. Similarly, race and sex could also be considered as major factors towards the accumulation and possession of wealth.Krugman, P. 2006, ‘Wages, wealth and politics’, Economist’s View. [Online] Available at: http://economistsview.typep ad.com/economistsview/2006/08/paul_krugman_wa.htmlWalton, G. and Rockoff, H. 1997, History of the American Economy, Harcourt Brace.

ILO conventions in Malaysia and Indonesia Essay

ILO conventions in Malaysia and Indonesia - Essay Example Perhaps the foremost social responsibility levied upon private and public organisation in recent decades is the adoption of fair and just employment practices. This responsibility is being increasingly codified in law and various governmental orders. Its influence is becoming increasingly pervasive through a constant series of federal court decisions as well as steady enlargement in the size and scope of administering agencies. Despite the unjust pressure from the International agencies and Governments of the developed nations it will neither fruitful for the economy of the developing countries nor for the labour of these countries to implement these principles in shape of the social clause of WTO or the ILO directives. The developed nations argue that the ILO standards are not intended to fix a uniform wage level or to establish universal employment conditions but are intended to making the conditions of the labour better all over the world. If the Governments of the developed countries are not intended to protect their job market shocks and really want to provide the labour all over the world they can achieve their goals by providing these countries with technological and financial support. This will automatically lead to the prosperous economies of these countries in turn bettering the living standards of the labour all over the world. ILO: International Labour Organisation is an international agency, which take care of the rights of the labour all over the world. ILO presents the guidelines, which allow the workers to form their organisation in order to help them to bargain and to safeguard their rights, settled a universal standard

Enron Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enron Scandal - Research Paper Example This created financial discrepancies in the form of loans. Profits were artificially generated in order to mention the cash flows that came in the form of such loans. Another technique used by the organization was to speculate on the energy sector. It calculated the market prices for the energy sector. The importance of ethics has also been demonstrated in the aftermath of the scandal. Corporate organizations need to have sound policies that demonstrate commitment, responsibility, and good governance. Such a culture helps employees to work for the prosperity of the organization. The collapse of Enron triggered shockwaves that took time to heal. The legislation in that time period allowed audit firms to provide diverse services which helped in the creation of fraudulent or misleading financial reports and statements. A major problem which occurred was the fact that Enron could recruit auditors that were inclined to make favorable statements in the organizational interest. Corporate scandals have a negative impact on economic systems because they lead to drastic changes. The Enron scandal that erupted in 2001 shook the foundations of the American financial system. It had a catastrophic impact on the confidence of the market because the organization had been involved in fraudulent and malicious financial activities. The organization would become insolvent while its auditing partner, Arthur Anderson was also on the verge of bankruptcy. Enron was an organization that had been created in the mid-1980s. Jeffrey Skilling, Kenneth Lay, and Andrew Fastow were responsible for the scandal which involved the lack of proper financial reports and statements (Brewer & Hansen, 2002). Stock values were overstated in order to attract more cash flows. The Enron scandal had widespread repercussions on the entire financial system. The main executives received sentences while certain firms like Citigroup and Anderson Auditing had to pay heavy.