Blood Brothers Essay Example for Free

Blood Brothers Essay Blood Brothers is a play that is so dramatic it made me change my emotions form happy to sad in the space of 5 minutes. It highlights the differences between the upper and lower classes and covers the terrible dilemma of a mother who gives one twin away to another person who lives up the road, of a much higher class. It makes me wonder what I would do if I were in that situation. The emotions portrayed in the play are much more intense than those within the book. I think it was a good idea for us to have studied the play in class as we read through it and acted it out. This gave us a very good idea of what to expect within the performance at the theatre. While studying the play we looked at freeze frames and even produced a piece of coursework on one we did where we showed the deaths of both Mickey and Eddie and interpreted it in our own way. We also focused a lot on characterisation and really looked at trying to portray the emotions of the characters through our body language, facial expressions, proxemics, and movement. I feel this really helped when we went to go and see it as it made me focus on how the characters are portraying there emotions to the audience and how my way of showing the same emotion was done differently through a different character. Having heard the songs before and listened carefully to the words, made it much more emotional within the performance and really helped me understand the story and try and get inside the characters heads. The songs gave away a lot about the characters and also related the events happening with other things that have happened in the past. I really did enjoy going to see it, it made me realise how dramatic the play actually was. From reading the book it was easy to tell the storyline was dramatic, but from watching it made it so much more than just dramatic. The performances on stage were brilliant and had such emotion and feeling from each of the characters. The production is set in Liverpool and was written in the 1980s. Willy Russell uses the play to show how different levels of class can have a huge effect on peoples lives and chances in life. Mickey was kept by his mum but grew up in a lower class family and his lifestyle was always limited. He lived in a council house and had a poor education while he was growing up. Meanwhile Eddie his twin brother was given away and brought up by a middle class family and went on to a high education and he was the one who got the better job as a result. The conflict between the two classes was very significant and I think Willy Russell portrayed it very well as the two boys from completely different classes became best friends and he showed the difference in classes right from the beginning when they first meet all the way up until they were grown men. The way in which he raised honesty as an important issue within the play was very well done and told so much about the story and how it was all going to end. The way in which he keeps the secret about the boys throughout the whole play and they do not have a clue they are twins is just so dramatic as when they do find out within 2 seconds they are both dead. It leaves the other characters in belief that it was fate and this was all going to happen no matter what. I think the narrator is such an important character throughout the play as he watches everything fall into place and builds the tension up within the other characters throughout the play. In my view the narrator was the one who made everything happen, because every time a character did something drastic he was always there and they always looked at him just before anything happened. Mickey Mickeys social class is portrayed in this play through many different acting skills. His language used and his accent shows he was brought up in a lower class family with not much discipline. His actions also suggest he has not yet learnt write from wrong and needs a push in the write direction but the audience knows it will not happen as the surroundings and people he is growing up with are just like him. The way in which he interacts with others for example when he first meets Eddie illustrates the fact that he doesnt see Eddie as someone with a bigger authority or who is in a different class to him, but treats him just the same. The soon changes throughout the play and is shown by the way Mickey ends up wanting to be Eddie because he can see that Eddie has a better life. Although Mickey is in a lower class to Eddie, Mickey has much more awareness to the real world than Eddie does. This is shown by the way Mickey learns more about sex and other issues at a younger age than Eddie. Also Mickey grows up a lot quicker than Eddie and starts thinking about responsibilities and building a life while Eddie is still a young boy at heart who just wants to have fun all the time and stay a teenager. Mickey and Lindas relationship starts of with them just being kids and close friends, but then Mickey realises Linda loves him and he cant handle the fact that his childhood friend Linda who he used to throw rocks with and play his air pistol with is falling all over him, he shows his discomfort to this situation by blocking her out and never saying what he really feels. But he also knows he really likes her but doesnt want Linda to find out. When Mickey starts outlining his appearance this shows he is not dealing with puberty and he compares himself to Eddie but he doesnt know that Linda loves him and only sees his good qualities and looks past his bad ones. As Mickey and Linda grow up they eventually start going out and later on get married and have a child. Mrs Lyons Mrs Lyons is first portrayed as a rich snob who looks down on anyone that is a lower class than she is. Unfortunately she cannot have children but her maid, Mrs Johnstone cant stop having them. This gives Mrs Lyons the perfect opportunity to raise a child as her own so her views of Mrs Johnstone soon change and she now looks up to her in hope of a child. The way Mrs Lyons gets Mrs Johnstone to agree to this, is by offering her money something Mrs Johnstone does not have much of but Mrs Lyons has plenty. She makes Mrs Johnstone see how wonderful her life would be with more money and how her child would grow up better than she thought. By offering Mrs Johnstone money Mrs Lyons is still portraying her authority over Mrs Johnstone, as she knows that Mrs Johnstone will not be able to resist because she needs the money. Mrs Lyons language that is used is much more complex than Mrs Johnstone, and her accent is completely different Mrs Johnstones. This also portrays the levels of class and shows the audience just who has more power over who. Because Mrs Lyons has a much wider spread vocabulary selection she can easily persuade Mrs Johnstone to do just what she wants. As Mrs Lyons idea about her having her own child progresses her facial expressions and gestures are much more aware to everyone in the audience who are concentrating on just how much this means to her. As soon as Mrs Johnstone has had her twins, Mrs Lyons is straight away in her face attempting to get her baby. But Mrs Johnstones change of heart make Mrs Lyons that much more eager to have one and tells her that she swore on the bible and if someone finds out about this she will be in a lot of trouble. And warns her that if she tells either child he was once a twin something bad will happen, they say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair, they shall both immediately die, this means that they are going to grow up unaware of the others existence. This is where the fear of Mrs Johnstones superstition is added to the plot. As Edward Lyons grows up, Mrs Lyons fears of what she never wants to happen seem as if they are which turns her into a growing mad woman. Happenings start to evolve around the superstitious nature. It begins to affect the play, as the characters start to behave differently. Mrs Lyons is now haunted by the superstition and it ruins her life as she approaches a mental breakdown which the change in her behaviour is effected by the superstition of having a sold child. As Edward and Mickey grow up and become friends again, when they are older, this tips Mrs Lyons over the edge as she finds a locket with which contains a picture of Mickey and Mrs Johnstone inside which belongs to Edward. The thought of Mrs Johnstone giving her son Edward this sends Mrs Lyons into a panic and she just lashes out at Mrs Johnstone. The affect this has on the up coming events is just undescribable and she is to blame for the brothers to find out who they really are. This play is a fast pace performance and has quick scene changes, which sets of the play very nicely. Because there are quick scene changes you are able to see just how different the surroundings for the scenery for the Lyons house and the street in which The Johnstones live are. Because there isnt any scenery for inside of Mrs Johnstones house I think it is a very important detail that all they need is the surroundings outside there house just to see the difference of being in a lower class family is to the scenery of The Lyons house which is a middle class family in a nice house. You can tell the diffference in social class straight away with just the scenery in place never mind the acting. The street has graffetee everywhere broken glass in the windows and just portrays this image of a bunch of kids that hang around there with no respect for the place in which they live. But The Lyons house shows a nice big sofa, a table, very spacious rooms and a very nice family feel to the environment. When the families move to the country side theres a much clearer image that the move was good as there are views of fields and there isnt as much pollution and there is much more space to run around and play. I think the scenery plays a big part in the performance as it gives you an idea of the surroundings and how people react when they are placed somewhere they are not used to. The style of the music was superb, the way the tone and pitch of the music changed to what was happening on the stage was perfect timing. Also before I had seen the play I was wondering why Willy Russell thought so thouroughlly about the effect the music had on the actuall performance and after I had seen it I knew exactly why he chose the style of songs and words for the songs to be sang at each part of the pley. The music summed up most of the play. The style of music in some songs changed from an up beat happy song to a deeper more depressing song in a matter of minutes, I thought the idea of this was brilliant and you could really tell how the music effected the performers on stage. The band was situated of stage which I found dissapointing as in other theatres I had been told the band was on stage hidden by scenery but you could still see it which I think would of made the music more affective. And it would have been more of a part of the play if the band was on stage. Although the band was of stage you could still see them in front of the stage facing it. I thought the way the characters moved from speaking to singing was so clever as you could never tell when they were going to break out in song. I really liked the use of the soft music playing in the background while someone was speaking and then just a line was sung and then it went back to the character speaking again. That idea made me really focus on the importance of that one line that had to be sung. The loud music on the fast pace killing scenes was brilliant, I loved it. It really made me feel like I was involved with the action going on and also made the atmosphere a lot more tense. The costumes within the play are very significant to the character being played. Mickey always wore ripped, dirty clothes that didnt look like they fitted him, whilst Eddie was always smartly drest with his shirt tucked in to his trousers and his clothes were always clean and also looked as if they had been ironed. The costumes clearly establish time, age and economic circumstance. The styles of the clothes show that this play must have been set in the early 80s, as this was the fashion back then. Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone had a very different sense of fashion within the play. Mrs Lyons usually wore nice fitted suits that looked like they would of cost her a quite a bit of money, whilst Mrs Johnstone usually wore tatty flowery dresses, with stains over them and the colour looked as if it had been drained out of them. Linda usually wore really little amounts of clothing, as she was out to impress Mickey, and needed her character to look good in the clothes she wore but to also to show how much she really liked Mickey. Lindas wardrobe I think really reflected her personality and social status. It portrayed the life she was living as all the girls in her estate probably wore similar clothes. But if she were from a middle class family she would probably be wearing long skirts down to her ankles, or pretty dresses that made her look sweet. Through the course of this learning scheme we have been focusing on key moments in the play. The freeze frame at the beginning and also repeated at the end is a significant moment I think in the play. It sums up a lot about the characters and also tells a story without any movement or sound. In class we were told to remake this freeze frame as our own and interperate it how we wanted to. I think we did this really well and even though it was a lot different to the freeze frame performed at the theatre it was still very imaginative and a well thought out piece. When we went and watched the performance the way they showed this particular moment was I thought very well done, it had Mrs Johnstone in between her two sons who are lying on the floor dead and she had placed there hands together with hers and I think that is just a lovely way of showing the tragedy which has just occurred. This sets the tone for the rest of the play by showing what things are going to make this happen and how fate is going to play itself for the upcoming events. Throughout the performance all I could think about while the play was progressing was theres no hope its all going to end badly anyway. Although some people may think this isnt very effective as you know whats going to happen and the element of surprise is sometimes much better. But not in this play because everything that happens you know in the back of your head it is happening for a reason and you notice the mistakes the characters are making for the story to be told. Also every time there is a decision made or something occurs that you know shouldnt, you are sitting at the edge of your seat just wanting to shout out Stop, no dont do that! But it happens anyway and you know exactly why. After seeing this play I fell in love with all the characters even the bad ones and just wanted to be able to get up and start acting on there with them. I thought it was the most thought provoking play I had ever watched and I really didnt want it to end. The way it was performed was just phenomenal, I really felt as if I was inside each of the characters heads and I knew how they were feeling. I felt very attached to each of the characters as I had sat there and invested my time and energy into following these characters since they were seven years old. The simple, witty lyrics and light hearted scenes just draws you into the world of the families portrayed, and pulls you into a false sense of security which is then rapidly twisted in the second half to be made as a tragedy. I loved the way the adult actors played seven year olds they produced such lovely scenes and it added to the comedy of the play, which made the ending even more shattering than expected. I was so impressed when saw Anthony Costa from blue, playing Mickey in this production he was amazing at it and I think he added to the performance shown. The opportunity to go and watch this performance I think was fantastic. I have learnt a lot about the play and it has really helped me understand the characters within the play.

Islamic Architecture in India

Islamic Architecture in India Introduction India is vast in culture and traditions, nature, religions, languages rich with historical monuments with vernacular architectures. Taj Mahal is one such wonderous monument structures built by ShahJahan as tomb in memory of his adored wife, Mumtaj Mahal. Taj Mahal is renowned for its glorious Indo-Islamic architectural presence in style, shape, color, location of the monument and material used to construct it. It is one of the eighth wonder of worlds famous monuments and appreciated by its visitors interests for their insight into its culture, time and history of the monument. Therefore, Taj Mahal architecture can be renowned as the largest model combination of the derivative of Byzantine, Persian, Indian and Islamic architecture. The Indo-Islamic architecture takes live in form with the slave dynasty in India. It is credited to Mughal dynasty in Pakistan and India, the field of arts and architecture who gave special care to raise historical monuments in India. The earliest monuments what we find in India are the recycled material of the existing Jain, Buddha and Hindu monuments. The Islamic architecture was then fostered by the Delhi Sultanate and achieved excellence by the Mughal contributions. The Background of Islamic Architecture in India The Persian dynasties dating back to 500 BCE has seen many Islamic faith dynasties. Throughout the ruling dynasties, Persia (modern Iran) has modeled as center for many art, architecture, poetry and philosophy. Persia is well known for its trade since pre-historic times. The Silk Route acts as bridge between distant lands for trade, religious and material culture. The business also spread to main lands of central Asia, including Armenia, Georgia, and India. Persia has also seen developmental fronts in architecture which spread many Asian countries as did business too. The climate, the influence of people, available material, religious purpose and peripheral cultures, and patrons also played a important role in the development of architecture (Mehraby).The magnificent architectural buildings take inspiration from the landscape, snow-capped mountains, valleys, and wide shining plains which conceived and accomplished novel ideas for building artifacts while mountains serve both physical and mental sources of inspirations in Iranian architecture.Thus, Beauty is regarded divine for ancient Persian civilizations. The Architectural Intentions of the Taj Mahal Taj Mahal traces its architecture as rooted with Islamic conjectures. Though the Persian or the Islamic civilization was not the first to concentrate their architecture on religious themes, it was a strong feature among Byzantine architects. The Byzantine Architecture records the religious buildings and their designs as achievements of the Byzantine Empire. The most remarkable example at Constantinople is Hagia Sophia, a Christian church at Constantinople (the present Istanbul) is a massive and ornamental church represents the glory of the Byzantine Empire. The architectural intentions also note the power factor in Islamic architecture. The Islamic dynasties believe in spreading Islam and glorify to God by articulating through mosques, unmatching historical monuments and palaces of excellent beauty. To achieve this, they desire and acquire power to patronage architecture. The Islamic architecture spread as far as Egypt and North Africa, Spain, and Persia. Then, they developed their unique style by combining the arts of the Byzantines, the Copts, the Romans, and the Sassanids. This unique style specializes in fusing the native design elements with imported ones. Taj Mahal suffices this stance. The memories of Mumtaj Mahal are spread all over the world symbolizing his love for her. The uniqueness of this monument is its dome structure which is feature of Byzantine architecture. The abstract designs are noteworthy of Persian architecture, the floral designs and painting goes to Safavid style, the location of the building is also an important factor which totally reiterates the presence of chief Persian architecture. Communicating spirituality is yet another perspective attributed to Islamic Architecture. This perspective has been practiced among sages, philosophers, poets, and spiritual masters of Islamic countries. The disciple of proliferating Islamic law through the pursuit of knowledge, reflections on reality of nature beyond appearance, disciplined prayer is also reflected on their architecture. The stone flowers of the Taj Mahal gives a picture of realism fascinating the visitor with their grace and colorful freshness, (Okado and Joshi). The Taj Mahals mention to paradise can be seen in the motif of flowers carved on the funerary chambers of the mausoleum, as well as on the plinths of the inner iwan, where flowers and roses symbolize the Kingdom of Allah, (Bin and Rasdi). The Byzantines architecture also followed similar organizing principles. Whereas the Christian religious worship place and its design corresponds to the religion. Therefore, symbolism also played a significant role in the evolution of the form of the monuments. During the Byzantine period the Church itself became a symbol of the faith. The master piece of Indo-Islamic Architectural style, the beauty of the Taj Mahal, inspires numerous artists from all over the world. To this, Okada and Joshi (1993) relates to the four canals to the four rivers of Paradise referred in the Holy Quran. The symbolic nature of the garden and the canals at Taj Mahal is considered the funereal nature of the monument and the Quran inscription located on the southern entrance wall of the main Gate gives undeniable credibility to the comparison of the Taj Mahal with the Garden of Paradise, this inscription says: (It will be said to the pious): O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back to your Lord, well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto him! Enter you, then, among My honored slaves, And enter you My Paradise! The Holy Quran, Surah Al-Fajr: 89:27-30 Therefore, it is notable to see the students of Islamic architecture enduring Taj Mahal as an incomparable monument in Persian origin. The Architecture, Structure of Taj Mahal The Byzantine and Islamic architecture share a common style of architecture, the dome. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is in response to the Islamic architecture which shows the influence of Byzantine architecture imparted as the dome style passed on to the Islamic architecture. It is also known as Persian dome. Today, it is called the Onion Dome. This architecture advancement of the use of dome is accredited formed a new style in global architecture. The most celebrated example is the Taj Mahal (A.D. 1630) built by Mughal Dynasty in India. But, this is not new to Indian architecture. The well known Buddhist Stupa at Sanchi, India 4th to 1st century BCE is a commemorative monument associated with preserving sacred relics. Not only these, the Mauryan kingdom (c. 321-185 BCE) in India also fortify their cities with Stupas, Viharas, and temples were constructed, (Kumar). The Taj Mahal consists of sixteen chambers, eight chambers each on two levels that contain the octagonal funerary chamber overcome by a surbased inner dome. The funerary chamber consists of the tombs of Mumtaj Mahal and Shah Jahan together, adorned by a baluster of delicately perforated marble and studded with semiprecious stones, (Okado and Joshi). Persians focused their efforts on reviewing their architecture in barrel vaulting, crenallated roofs, conical squinches, big bricks, oval arches and different designed brick work or now and again platerworks over bricks. Though the architecture is traced to 3000 years, the design elements of Persian architecture like high-arched portal set within a recess, columns with bracket capitals, columned porch or talar, a dome on four arches, a vast ovoid arch in the entrance, a four iwan courtyard, early towers reaching up toward the sky, an interior court and pool, an angled entrance and extensive decorations display their distinctive structural designs, (Mehraby). The Structure The intended tomb is made of large white marble structure standing on a square plinth beam consisting of a symmetrical building with an iwan (arch-shaped doorway) presented with a large dome and finial at the top. Franà §ois Bernier noted how the centre of every arch is adorned with white marble slabs whereon are inscribed large Arabian characters in black marble. This structure styling reflects Persian architecture. The base is multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners creating an unequal octagon of approximately 55 meters on all the four long sides. On each of these sides, a massive pishtaq, or a vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two similarly shaped, arched balconies stacked on either side forming a symmetrical shape on all sides of the building. There are four minarets frame the tomb and the main chamber houses the false graves of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The actual graves are located at a lower level. The top of the dome is fancily decorated with a lotus design. The columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires (guldastas) extend from edges of base walls, and provide visual emphasis to the height of the dome. The dome and chattris are topped by a gilded finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements, (Wiki). Even the tenure of Byzantine architecture, the discovery of pendentives and dome on pendentives changed the expertise for constructing churches and eased the procedure during the Byzantine period. The bronze make of moon and its horns pointing upwards, the heavenward in trident shape clearly indicates the mixing of Persian and Hindu decorations. The symbolic meaning can be derived as Hindu symbol of Shiva. The minarets are 40 meters tall; each minaret dividing into three equal parts by two working balconies surmounted by a chattri that mirrors the design of a lotus design topped by a gilded finial, (Wiki). The subsequent Islamic architecture in India signifies in the form of Mosques and tombs facade beautification is the main form. The evolution of the dome style as called the basic cube and hemisphere terminology in past architecture was later brought into excellence at some stage in the Mughal Period. The experts say that Taj Mahal replicates Humayuns tomb before the blueprint for Taj Mahal was formed. The best examples for the Indo-Islamic Architecture are the Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, Agra Fort, Buland Darwaza, Qutab Minar and Safdarjang Tomb. Hambly (1964) writes the architecture of Taj Mahal to be of Safavid style in his Cities of Mughal India which accounts the amazing factors of Mughal dynasty. Safavid is yet another dynasty which ruled Persia during 1499-1722 B.C.E. Safavid has great deal of finest works of metal art works like arms, armor, candle stand, helmets, drinking vessels, and wine bowls. Ruggiero notes the events during the Safavids, networks of caravansaries were constructed to facilitate transportation and promote trade since Persia was business center for many countries then, (Hambly). The calligraphy on the large pishtaq is definite work of Safavid. Anon says, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan conferred Amanat Khan title for his work for his dazzling virtuosity. This inscription from the Quran can be found underneath the interior dome are the inscription, Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi.. Not only this, the calligraphy found on the marble grave is attended in detail and delicate. Historical, Societal and Cultural Importance of Islamic Architecture Haider (2002) studies the Islamic architecture along the fourfold phenomenon activity of societal implications namely, the dwelling imperative, the functional imperative, the constructive imperative and aesthetic imperative; these principles also project our images, expectations, definitions, and critique of Islamic architecture. Functional importance of any building under this architecture marks as symbolic or a marker or an icon or a monument fundamental to uphold the longing remembrances and therefore, indicate meaning of a society. If we can cross these societal manifestations against the architectural intentions, a more focused and prolific discussion can be formed. Our study on Taj Mahal is one such productive result of these crossing. If we can view Islam as religion and as historical observable fact of power and patronage and inclined to seek the aesthetic imperative and symbolic expression in architecture, the focus is more likely on Taj Mahal. Conclusion The Mughal courts established in Pakistan and India were occupied by poets and calligraphy artists from Persia who took flight from their very little home country to fortune earning in India. The constructions what we see of Mughal dynasty is the work of these Iranians who were the special guidance of the Mughal Empire who gave attention for very detail to raise monuments for the public to praise the Islamic architecture. The Islamic architecture holds its generosity in various monuments found mostly in India. They portray their love for art and inturn to God. Their thrust to spread the fame is notable. We see every dynasty or the empire have their own set of values, cultures and traditions. These impacts are also well noticeable in their architectures. Therefore, the Islamic architecture is symbolic of the architecture they produce. Work Cited Books Amina Okada and M.C. Joshi. (1993). Taj Mahal. Abbeville press Guido Ruggiero. (2002). A companion to the worlds of the Renaissance. Wiley-Blackwell Roger Savory. (2008). Iran Under the Safavids. Cambridge University Press Franà §ois Bernier (1996). Travels in the Mogul Empire 1656-1668. Asian Educational Service Raj Kumar. (2003). Essays on Indian art and architecture: History and culture series. Discovery publishing house Journal Mohamad Tajuddin Bin and Haji Mohamad Rasdi. (2008). Reconstructing the idea of Islamic architecture: restructuring the academic framework and design approach within the perspective of the Sunnah. The Journal of Architecture, 13:3(6). pp 297 315. Online Sources Mehraby, Rahman. http://www.destinationiran.com/Architecture.htm Okado and Joshi. http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/taj_mahal.html Bin and Rasdi. http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/taj_mahal.htmlAnon. The Taj Mahal. Islamic architecture. Islamic Arts and Architecture Organization. Accessed on 25 Nov 2009. http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/taj_mahal.html. General Information about Iranian Architecture. Accessed on 25 Nov 2009. http://www.destinationiran.com/Architecture.htm Introduction of Islamic architecture to India. Accessed on 27 Nov 2009 http://www.india9.com/i9show/Taj-Mahal-19777.htm Byzantine Architecture. Accessed on 25 Nov 2009. http://library.thinkquest.org/C005594/Medieval/byzantine.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_architecture

Butch and femme roles of lesbians

Butch and femme roles of lesbians Butch and femme roles were extremely important to the community in the forties and fifties; it was the butch role that was the most visible, and therefore the most likely to cause public scorn (Weissman and Fernie). The two sources, The Reproduction of Butch Femme Roles by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Forbidden Love by Aerlyn Weisman and Lynne Fernie focus particularly on the function of the butch role among working class lesbians in Buffalo. These sources draw on articles, oral histories and interviews of lesbians from the early twentieth century. Both the resources state that, although gender-appropriate styles and behaviors were rigidly enforced in order to maintain a clear distinction between the sexes, butch womens choice to not only reject traditional femininity but to also actively adopt masculinity was perceived as a threat to the very order of society and a prelude to social chaos. Despite the fear, and likelihood of harassment by police and other strai ght men, the courage of butches to claim their identities in many ways prepared the way for later generations of lesbians to break free from the narrow conventions of socially constructed womanhood and claim access to a kind of power traditionally held only by men (Weisman and Fernie). As a result, male representations of lesbian sexuality have had the most influence in shaping attitudes towards butch and femme identities throughout the twentieth century. Such representations have almost always assumed the lesbian role -playing is an imitation of heterosexuality. The main theory underlying the feminist disregard of role playing is that roles depend on sexual difference, which is naturally hierarchical, polarizing, and oppressive. Sexual difference is the grounds on which heterosexual roles are built, and thus contains within it an inherently unequal distribution of power. In the relationship of a butch and femme, since the identities of both are built on popular cultural stereotypes of male and female behavior, they tend to reinforce the inequality in power inherent in this dichotomy. In addition, in most cases one of the partners is active, strong, dominant, and initiating whereas the other partner is passive, weak, submissive, and enduring. The partner who is dominant in this equation mimics the role of a male in a heterosexual relationship, whereas the passive, weak and submissive characteristics belong to that of the female. Thus, because the butch- femme roles have the potential for being just as sexist as heterosexual roles, they imita te the latter, especially when talking about power relations between two partners. (Weisman and Fernie) According to Judith Roofs article, The Match in the Crocus: Representations of Lesbian Sexuality, the representations of lesbian sexuality in the dominant discourse often evoke the phallus by calling attention to its absence or substitution in sexual relations between women, so that it appears and seems necessary, at least symbolically, because of the inconceivability of sexuality without a phallus present. Therefore, lesbians are often depicted as having appropriated the penis, masquerading as though they really had it, and thereby assuming male privilege and acting upon it. This evokes the stereotypical image of the lesbians by phallocentric discourse and is seemingly embraced by the lesbian community in the form of butch roles. What Roofs analysis makes possible is an understanding of the ways in which the dominant ideology has a vested interest in making the butch femme role playing appear to be a mere replica of heterosexuality, as a way of calming male anxiety over the threat of female appropriation of male dominance. Thus, because the absence of the phallus requires them to achieve the balance through role playing, they merely are merely imitating the heterosexual norms. Butch femme roles were particularly prominent in the working-class lesbian bar culture of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, where butch-femme relationships were the norm, while butch-butch and femme-femme were taboo (Kennedy and Davis 244/81). Most of the lesbian community existed primarily in bars, since these were the only places where people could gather publicly, break the isolation of lesbian life, and develop both friendships and lover relationships (Kennedy and Davis 243/80). Just as in straight bars, picking up another type in lesbian bars was often the reason for attending the party. Although there are a few exceptions (like Nairobi in Forbidden Love who sent a rose to her desired person), the butch was typically the one who made the first move towards the femme who just sat and looked pretty. This idea of the male butch having to make the first move, replicates the role of a heterosexual male who usually is the one to make the first move at a club. The objective of a butch was to satisfy and keep his femme safe (Weisman and Fernie). This reiterates the notion of one of the partners being in control, strong, and dominant, whereas the other is weak, and needs the help of a man to keep her safe (Weisman and Fernie). This goes hand in hand with the notion of the society that perceives women to be inferior to men because they need a man to look after them. It was always the butch who put up with the discrimination, and bashing to keep their woman safe. Further, the butch is never attracted to another like herself. Rather, she is always attracted to a more feminine type of person (Kennedy and Davis 251/84). This can be paralleled to the idea that heterosexual males are not supposed to be attracted to the same type of person, but of the opposite sex. Therefore, though they are trying to show a discourse to heterosexual relationships, the fact that society is predominantly heterosexual subjected them to the widely known heterosexual st ructure. The role playing in the bedroom does not strictly and always follow pleasure being received only by one partner. Just like the sex life of heterosexual couples butch and femme complement each other in an erotic system in which the butch was expected to be both the giver and the doer (Kennedy and Davis 244/81), however not always. In simpler terms, as shown in Forbidden Love it was always the butch on top, and the femme on the bottom. Though this earned them a destruction of taboo around the sexuality of lesbians, it can be taken further by the notion that in the sex life of heterosexual couples, the female is the one on the bottom, and the male is the one who is taking charge, and dominant, and therefore on top. In contrast to a butch, a stone butch is a woman who is strongly masculine in character and dress, tops her partners sexually (and sometimes emotionally), and who does not wish to be touched genitally. Not all stone butches identify in female terms; some are known to identify with male pronouns, while many stone butches do not even identify themselves with lesbian or within the lesbian community. A common partner for a stone butch is a stone femme; a femme who bottoms sexually or who wishes not to touch the genitals of her stone butch partner. Moreover, the characteristics of stone butches can be found in many men, who wish to pleasure, but do not expect anything in return; that is to be total givers. These men get their zing from pleasuring their woman, identical to the role of a stone butch. (Weisman and Fernie) By wearing the attire of a man, the butches earn privileges that a heterosexual man would have. The femme, or the woman, who wears feminine clothes, does not have the same privileges of that of the males. Wearing manly clothes gives a lot more mobility and freedom to the butches, which parallels the liberation that heterosexual males get and their females do not. Moreover, the only way for women to achieve independence in work and travel and to escape passivity was to pass as men (Kennedy and Davis 245/81). Wearing manly clothes therefore also permitted these men to earn higher salaries and get better jobs (Weissman and Fernie); similar to how getting a job was known to be a mans responsibility in the heterosexual structure. Though there have been ongoing debates on the roles of butch and femmes, there is no doubt that their role playing imitates the functions which are evident in a heterosexual constitution. There are many reasons that have compelled these lesbians into taking up these heterosexual identities; one being the identification and visibility of the role of females in a society dominated by heterosexual notions of relationships, and another being that taking up the male characteristics, was the only way to let the society view their homosexual relationships as somewhat heterosexual. Thus, butches and femmes took on the notion of the heterosexuals by imitating their masculine style of clothing, sex habits, stratified positions and social behaviours.

Edward Albees Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf Essay -- Edward Albee Af

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee was an American playwright producer and director. He was born on March 12, 1928 probably in Virginia. He was adopted at an early age, which influenced him to write about characters that are different. His writings were characterized by realism; fidelity to life as perceived and experienced, and were considered to be absurd dramas. Albee, in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, portrays a primitive sex struggle between a middle aged couple; the relationship between George and Martha is acted out in a series of games in which one sex dominates the other through unapparent love, weapons that each have mastered, and the most hurtful insult, the revealing of the hidden truth. The unapparent love for one another is one of the most interesting aspects of George and Martha's relationship. Throughout the play this point is brought out in some of the most memorable scenes. At the end of the play, when George triumphs in the battle, he shows sympathy towards his wife even though he has regrets about revealing the truth about their hypothetical son. Each understand and appreciate one another even though each is a tortured person. In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Martha states "George who is good to me, and whom I revile, who understands me, and whom I push off; who can make me laugh, and can choke it back in my throat, who can hold me at night, so that it's warm.... who keeps learning the games we play as quickly as I can... Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Essay -- Edward Albee Af Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee was an American playwright producer and director. He was born on March 12, 1928 probably in Virginia. He was adopted at an early age, which influenced him to write about characters that are different. His writings were characterized by realism; fidelity to life as perceived and experienced, and were considered to be absurd dramas. Albee, in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, portrays a primitive sex struggle between a middle aged couple; the relationship between George and Martha is acted out in a series of games in which one sex dominates the other through unapparent love, weapons that each have mastered, and the most hurtful insult, the revealing of the hidden truth. The unapparent love for one another is one of the most interesting aspects of George and Martha's relationship. Throughout the play this point is brought out in some of the most memorable scenes. At the end of the play, when George triumphs in the battle, he shows sympathy towards his wife even though he has regrets about revealing the truth about their hypothetical son. Each understand and appreciate one another even though each is a tortured person. In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Martha states "George who is good to me, and whom I revile, who understands me, and whom I push off; who can make me laugh, and can choke it back in my throat, who can hold me at night, so that it's warm.... who keeps learning the games we play as quickly as I can...

An Analysis of McDonalds Essay -- essays research papers

The number one fast-food chain McDonald's is the world’s leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants in 121 countries serving 45 million customers each day. The McDonald's History Raymond Albert Kroc 1902-1984, A Salesman Ray Kroc mortgaged his home and invested his entire life savings to become the exclusive distributor of a five-spindled milk shake maker called the Multimixer. Hearing about the McDonald's hamburger stand in California running eight Multimixers at a time, he packed up his car and headed West. It was 1954. He was 52 years old. Where it all began, Des Plaines, Illinois Ray Kroc opened the Des Plaines restaurant in 1955. First day's revenues-$366.12! It’s no longer a functioning restaurant, the Des Plaines building is now a museum containing McDonald's memorabilia and artifacts, including the Multimixer! Ronald McDonald, In Any Language He Means "Fun!" "The smile known around the world," Ronald McDonald is second only to Santa Claus in terms of recognition. In his first TV appearance in 1963, the happy clown was portrayed by none other than Willard Scott. Fred Turner And Ray Kroc, Architects Of A Dream Ray Kroc and Fred Turner study the design which would replace the red and white tile buildings that had become landmarks throughout the United States. Called Kroc's first "grill man extraordinaire," Turner is today Senior Chairman of the Board. McDonald's Comes To Wall Street In 1965 McDonald's went public with the company's first offering on the stock exchange. A hundred shares of stock costing $2,250 dollars that day would have multiplied into 74,360 shares today, worth over $2.8 million on December 31, 1998. In 1985, McDonald's was added to the 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average. A Big Idea Called "Big Mac" Introduced system wide in 1968, the Big Mac was the brainchild of Jim Delligatti, one of Ray Kroc's earliest franchisees, who by the late 1960s operated a dozen stores in Pittsburgh. The Egg McMuffin Introduced in 1973, the Egg McMuffin was developed by owner operator Herb Peterson. The First Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, PA In 1974, Fred Hill of the Philadelphia Eagles teamed up with McDonald's to create Ronald McDonald House. The families of critically ill children have a place to call home while they're away from home as the young patients und... ...season. Video/DVD/Music The McKids entertainment series provides an energetic, engaging and fun experience for children. Unlike typical videos for children that are more passive, the McKids Video series will get kids on their feet to join in the action. Fueled with contemporary, hip music and hosted by Ronald McDonaldâ„ ¢, each 30 minute live action show will take kids on interactive adventures, interspersed with energetic music videos. Kids may learn about teamwork in a participatory soccer segment, or experience the galaxy as they magically zoom through space. They will also learn about children who live in different parts of the world. Books The McKids Books Series introduces a new line of interactive books to engage, entertain, educate and enlighten kids. The books teach and encourage kids to be creative, and make reading and learning fun. References: http://www.mcdonalds.com http://www.shareholder.com/mcd/stock.cfm?period=12 http://www.mcdonalds.com/corporate/press/corporate/2003/11132003/index.html Sociology, A Global Perspective, Fifth Edition, Joan Ferrante, Northern Kentucky University, Copyright 2003 Wadsworth Fortune 2001; Foreign Policy 2001; McDonald’s Corporation 2001

What is the good life?

The article I have selected to summarize for this assignment is titled as ‘The Secret to Happiness’ by David Myers . This article discusses about the beauty and secret to a happy good life. It discusses the goodness of life from different aspects. It suggests that people from different genre ought to think differently about the curve of life and its happiness. According to a survey materialism brings much content and happiness in an individual’s life and a greater amount of people wish they were rich, which proves that money brings happiness to most. Thus suggesting that the source of good life recedes before an individual as he wishes to pursue. The article by David Myers speaks about the twentieth century with reference to people, their lives, and what made them a happier individual: the more rich a person is the more content he is in his life compared to the person who is poor and cannot fulfill his needs. Moreover, a survey was done with different classes of people which included the rich and poor, the young and the old, the children and adults and all were asked to tell their happiest period of life that they would never forget. More than 75% of the answers were materialistic happiness that is they were the most happy when they bought a new car, or a new home, when they found a new job. These were few answers that bought them life lasting satisfaction. Furthermore, writer uses a term known as buyer’s remorse used to describe the let down which occurred purchasing something that doesn’t provide satisfaction was expected off. Therefore, the secret to happiness for long lasting satisfaction is materialism. Though, many may not agree to the fact but it is true that materialism has held its importance in our life that much that it has become a secret of happiness. My Evaluation: What is a good life? A mother says that a good life is to see her children prosper; a father says that a good life is when he’d be able to be the strong man who could support his family; a student would say that a good life is to attain and be a top graded student; a beggar would say that it would be when he’d be able to get bread for his living; a prisoner would say that a good life is when he’ll be a freeman and when a lover is asked the same question as to what is a good life, he would say that a good life is to just have a glimpse of his love of life. Therefore a good life may be different to different people but all we need to do is to be practical and study carefully the options that we are given and choosing the best option among them. A good life is one that is spent in a high pursuit; a life where the energy of love is given most importance than any energy of matter. Thus, to spit away the hatred through the entrance of forgiveness, revealed through love would transform life into a life that is called a good life. A good life can never be spent around until the scent of love and charm may not be imbued in all, with all the strength and passion. We can harness the energy of the winds, the seas, and the sun. But the day a man learns the energy of love, that will be as important as the discovery of fire; and then one will realize what is meant by a good life. A good life is a life of a soldier. The pride and the passion with which a soldier walks with the soul content can’t actually be put to words. The soldier-walks upright and passes his nights waking only because the other million people there are sleeping only because that one soldier wakes and in the war zone hugs all the bullets as his medals. He is happy with all what life has given to him. His firm belief is that the truth or secret of happiness is serving his nation, defending its honor, safeguarding people and sacrificing his life for what he holds most dear to his heart which is his motherland. Thus, he lives and dies as a person with good life. But there also live people who have everything they have in life, everything they want, the women they love, the children, the career, the kind of freedom that is the envy of all friends, the travel, the honors, the pleasure and the praise. But then even their lives are missing something. These are the people who turn into the true hunters of a good life. They are always in search of what the true meaning of happiness is and this pursuit takes up most of their lives. The constant hunger or the dissatisfaction, despite of having everything they require, in them doesn’t let them rest and forces them to go beyond the normal realms to find the thing that will provide them with contentment, satisfaction and happiness. Thus a good life is the beginning of learning about the three most important things in life. First, as soon as people decide to confront a problem, they realize that they are far more capable then they thought they were. Second, all energy and all the knowledge came from the same unknown source that we usually call the God. All one has to do is to believe in the paths, to honor what one wishes to do and to honor that energy. To connect up with it every day, to allow oneself to be guided by the signs and to learn by doing and not by thinking about doing is what is important for the person. And third may lie on the observation that a good life is considered to be worse due to the sufferings we face. One should always remember that no one is alone in their troubles; there is always someone else thinking, rejoicing or suffering in the same way and that gives us strength to confront the challenge before us, to fight by moving the heavens and the earth to make a good life. A good life is always confronted by sufferings but in order to turn out those sufferings one must learn that if there is suffering then its best to accept it, because it won’t go away just because you pretend it’s not there. If there is joy then it is best to accept it too, even though you are afraid it might end one day. Some people can only relate life through sacrifice and renunciation. Some people can only feel part of humanity when they think they are happy and leading a good life. But a good life is good when a person is self satisfied. Nothing in the world can replace this one factor which is the only key to a better life. A good life may further be best analyzed by this Mongolian myth in which there are two characters. A doe and a wild dog that come together, two beings are very different natures: in the wild, the dog would normally kill the deer for food. In the Mongolian myth they both understand that they each need the qualities of the other if they are to survive in a hostile world and that they should, therefore join forces. To do this they must first learn to love. And in order to love they must cease to be who they are, otherwise they will never be able to live together. With the passing of time, the wild dog comes to accept that his instinct, always focused on the struggle to survive, now serves a grater purpose; finding someone who he can rebuild the world, who he can pass his life which is termed as not life itself as alone but rather a good life. Thus in all accordance life is what we choose to be, whether alone or with people we love, happy or unhappy, satisfied or unsatisfied. The key to it is to decide what we actually want and with that self actualization comes the true essence and meaning of happiness.

My Two Cities Final

Africa, which is a third world country. Therefore, Livingston is less technologically advanced and there is a lot more poverty. Although it may not seem the greatest being in a third world country, Livingston definitely has some great perks. For example, it has Victoria Falls, which is one of the seven great natural wonders of the world. You can also go on local safaris there and see animals up close such as lions, elephants, cheetahs, hippos and so on. Orlando, has Walt Disney World, one Of the biggest theme parks in the world.It also has many other theme parks such as universal and Pepco and a lot of other tourist attractions. Another great thing about Orlando is that it is only about an hour drive away from the beach, where as Livingston is surrounded by other countries so there are no beaches close by. Orlando has a downtown, where there are a lot of sky scrapers and a mix of everything such as big corporations, restaurants, parks, and a nightlife scene. In Livingston, there is n o downtown or sky scrapers, but there is the area called â€Å"town†, which is where all the local businesses are located.Livingston is a very small city, therefore everything is about a five to ten minute drive away and every day the local businesses close around five in the evening. Everyone there lives a pretty slow-paced lifestyle. Orlando, on the other hand, is a very big city, where it can take up to half an hour or forty-five minutes to reach a specific destination and some businesses can be open up to ten or eleven at night. It may not be such a rushed lifestyle, but it is definitely faster paced than Livingston.Despite their differences, these cities can also be pretty similar. Starting off with the weather, although there are both on opposite ends of the equator, the weather is pretty similar with hot summers, rainy seasons, and no-snow winters. Another similarity is that both cities also have soccer teams, Livingston has a team called The Copper Bullets and Orlando has a new and upcoming team called Orlando City Soccer. They both also have reptile farms, Orlando has Coastland and Livingston has The Crocodile Farm, which were both my favorite places to go to as a child.Something new in Livingston is a all that they have built and also a new movie theater with comfortable seating and showings of 3-D movies, which of course Orlando has a couple of malls and movie theaters. Livingston may not have a big nightlife scene, but they do have couple of lounges and bars that are similar to Orlando nightlife. For example, there is a martini bar called Rhapsody's which is really similar to the Blue Martini in Orlando. The last similarity between the two is the transport systems. Most people drive cars, but there are also public buses and taxis which people rarely use.Livingston is an up and coming city, bringing in just as much tourism because of Victoria Falls as Orlando does from the theme parks, pretty soon there will be a lot more similarities between the two cities. For me, these two cities are my home. I believe they represent the best of both worlds for me. They are both very unique and also filled with fun stuff to do. Orlando is a busy life for me and Livingston is slow and more relaxed. I go back and forth between the two cities often and they keep me pretty balanced between their differences and similarities.