Of Mice and Men - the Crisis of Drama free essay sample

The Drama Based on Peter Szondi’s studies, the Drama of modernity had its beginning in Renaissance. After the collapse of the medieval worldview, an artistic reality in which a human being could fix and mirror himself on the basis of interpersonal relationships was created. Man disclosed himself to his contemporary world: nothing outside the interpersonal relationships was accepted in the drama. Drama is absolute and unique for it is separate from everything outside itself and it is constructed by dialogue, which is dominant. The author cannot appear anywhere in drama – referred to what is spoken – but it belongs to him just as a whole and everything spoken cannot be out of context. Also, the absoluteness of this artistic reality regards to the spectator that has to be passive: â€Å"silent, with hands tied, lamed by the impact of this other world†(p. 8)?. The relationship between actor and role cannot be visible, since no things can exist besides those demonstrated in the drama – actor and character become one. We will write a custom essay sample on Of Mice and Men the Crisis of Drama or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The drama is always primary, which means that it represents only itself. It is not related to some historical event, or to something that is happening in the contemporary world, and these both characteristics always leads to the â€Å"present† as Drama’s internal time. The internal time, or present, is constructed through dialogue – as the dialogues pass, the action pass and the present is dressed by a new present. As Szondi affirms, â€Å"every moment must contain the seeds of future† (p. 9), otherwise, the linearity and the principle of absolute presence in Drama would be subverted. From this point of view, the temporal fragmentation of the scenes would result in the break of unity of time. Another aspect of drama consists on its unity of place. The spatial context should not be large, since the larger the scene, the more difficult it is to the spectators to follow it. Then, with Drama’s characteristics mentioned above, this paper will analyze one of the novels that symbolized the beginning of the crisis of drama. The novel is Of Mice and Men, and some of its aspects that can be considered opposite to what was preached by Drama’s theory will be observed. The Crisis in Of mice and Men As said in introduction, the Drama consists in unity. Nothing outside the interpersonal relationships was accepted in it. As Szondi says, â€Å"real dramatic action does not present human existence in terms of some specific cause. If it did, the action would point beyond itself (†¦) The existence of the dramatis personae should not reach beyond the temporal borders of the Drama† (p. 38), which means that the characters presented in the Drama are not created as a mirror of subjects in the exterior world. This kind of dramatic presentation is called by Szondi as â€Å"transformation of alienated conditionality into interpersonal actuality† and it means that a single dramatic personae represents thousands of people living in the same condition. However, in Of Mice and Men, of John Steinbeck, an undramatic element is seen the characters do represent subjects inserted in a certain period of human history. In this case, the period remits to the Great Depression, which happened after World War I and had devastating effects in many countries. This crisis led many rural poor and hand workers to produce even more goods, but for the same amount of money and many rich farmers bought more lands and expensive agricultural equipments in order to support the new demand, and this made them broke. It is in this context that Steinbeck writes Of Mice and Men. One of the main characters, Lennie, is as mindless as a mice, and he may represent the life that the low society in this particular case, hand workers had in this period. Lennie can also be a stereotype of people that simply accept and obey what others tell them to do and this can be noticed in the 2nd act, 1st scene, when Curley starts beating Lennie and the last fights back only when George asks him to do so. A character as Lennie cannot be accepted in society, since he is not capable to, at least, try to improve his conditions in the world – he is not even able to reason about himself. He only obey orders without being able to think about what is his real role in society and every action he does by his will ends in great trouble. Curley, the boss’ son, symbolizes the oppressive system. He many times acts irrationally and wants to demonstrate his power by showing his physical strength – although minimal. This character could be sometimes considered as stupid as Lennie, but the difference is that he is the son of the ranch’s owner, and knows the difference between evil and good, and that means he is conscious of his wrong doings. Opposite to Curley, there are characters as George, Curley’s wife, Crooks and Candy that are victims of the system, but, at the same time, dream about changing their lives to a better condition, even though the oppressive system hinders them to fulfill their dream. George dreams about owning a land, Curley’s wife desires to be a movie star but renounces it by marrying Curley. Crooks wants to have his own mules and also hoeing a patch of garden on Lennie’s farm one day. Candy gets excited about George’s idea to have a piece of land and wants to take part in it. All of these dreams represent for these characters the possibility of real happiness, but the realization of these fantasies is not tangible for them. These dreams are an allegory of the impossibility of reaching the American Dream. Such impossibility is another undramatic element in Of Mice and Men, since it is a way of the epic I to expose to the audience one idea, or, as Anatol Rosenfeld in his essay â€Å"O Teatro Epico† indicates, it is a way to present a â€Å"palco cientifico capaz de esclarecer ao publico sobre a sociedade e a necessidade de transforma-la† (p. 48). The epic I consists in a subject which stands above the play and shows the social determinants and forces the spectators to reflect about society and to make decisions in order to improve it. In Of Mice and Men, the epic I exposes several issues in human society. Among these issues there are the already mentioned impossibility to reach the American Dream, the brutality that men with certain power can exercise upon men humans of lower classes and the necessity of not take an action just when someone else demands it. However there are other conceptions presented in the play, as the imponderability of life that acts upon all men, not just upon those of a low condition – although a boss, Curley has his wife killed by Lennie. It demonstrates that, metaphorically, there are wealthy and non-wealthy mices, but both suffer from superior forces that submit them to uncontrolled situations the repressive human elite, the death, the mental incapability and so forth. It remits to the title of the play, which means humans and mices share the fragility they possess before something bigger than them. Also, there is the conception of friendship which is pointed by the relationship between Lennie and George. The spectator notices that George seems to look after his friend, for Lennie has a mental disability. Their relationship is established within the first pages of the first act, and although they are uneducated laborers, they have a mutual devotion that persists until George kills Lennie, mercifully, with a shot to the back of his head just as Candy’s dog is killed by Carlson, retracting, therefore, the similarity between the dog and Lennie – the dog’s murder was a prelude of what would happen further to Lennie. Finally, the last undramatic aspect to be considered in Of Mice and Men is based on Szondi’s affirmation that, in social Drama, â€Å"The play’s unity is not rooted in the continuity of action but rather in the invisible epic I who presents the conditions and events† (p. 40). This aspect consists in the rubric, that is an instrument through which guidelines are given to the reader regarding the scenario, the time, and the character’s features, lines and actions. In the 18th century, the rubric gained importance as the characters became more psychologized. As they are introduced, the rubrics function as a device that helps not only to construct the characters but to reveal the complexity of their relation by indicating the nature of their interaction, the way they react to each other and to the faced circumstances. In the very first act, Lennie’s manners are described by the epic I through adverbs as â€Å"irritably†, â€Å"furiously†, â€Å"sternly†, â€Å"disgustedly† and â€Å"violently†. On the other hand, George seems to assume a rationalist position with more security, which allows him to ponder and doubt about the circumstances, present in the second scene of the act one, when he â€Å"inspects†, acts â€Å"skeptically†, â€Å"on guard†, â€Å"thoughtfully† and â€Å"pensively†. These rubrics show the difference between both main characters. During all the play, rubrics are presented indicating the feelings and situations of characters. Also, rubrics in Of Mice and Men present the scenario: â€Å"Outside the sound of the horseshoe game goes on† (p. 331), â€Å"They take places opposite each other at the table† (p. 339), â€Å"Candy turns over and watches George† (p. 345). Even more, in the very beginning of each act, the epic I narrates the hours, the places and the situation to be further developed through the character’s dialogue. All the characteristics mentioned in this paragraph prove that there is an explicit appearance of the epic I, although his identity is not exposed, and this is once more an aspect of the crisis of Drama. As a conclusion, it can be said that with society’s crisis, the Drama also entered in crisis, and the necessity of transformation in plays appeared. This necessity implied in making the spectator an observer, obligating him to make decisions and to face his troubles.

Preparing to Teach Grammar in an ESL Class

Preparing to Teach Grammar in an ESL Class Teaching grammar in an ESL / EFL setting is quite different from teaching grammar to native speakers. This short guide points to important questions that you should ask yourself to prepare to teach grammar in your own classes. Important Questions to Address The important question that needs to be answered is: how do I teach grammar? In other words, how do I help students learn the grammar they need. This question is deceptively easy. At first look, you might think that teaching grammar is just a matter of explaining grammar rules to students. However, teaching grammar effectively is a much more complicated matter. There are a number of questions that  need to be addressed for each class: What are the objectives of this class?Is the class preparing for an exam? Is the class improving their English for business purposes? Is the class preparing for summer holidays? etc.The answer to this question is important as it will help you decide on how much grammar really needs to be taught. If students are preparing for a Cambridge Exam then grammar will play a large role in your lesson plans. On the other hand, if you are teaching a business class, linguistic formulas may play a larger role as you provide the learners with standard phrases for written documents, participating in meetings, etc.What type of learning background do the learners have?Are the students at school? Have they not studied for a number of years? Are they familiar with grammar terminology?Adults who have not been attending school for a number of years are likely to find grammar explanations confusing while as students who are currently studying will probably be much more adept at understanding grammar chart s, expressions, etc. What learning materials and resources are available?Do you have the latest student workbooks? Do you have no workbooks at all? Is there a computer in the classroom?The more learning resources you have the easier it will be for you to employ different strategies when teaching your students grammar. For example, a group of students who like using computers could use the computer to study a certain grammar task while another group who prefers spoken explanations might prefer to have you explain the point with a number of examples. Obviously, the more varieties of learning opportunities the better your chances are that each student will be able to learn the grammar point well.What kind of learning style does each student have?Is the learner comfortable with standard right brain learning techniques (logical charts, study sheets, etc.)? Does the learner work better with listening and repeating exercises?This is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching - especially teaching grammar. If you have a class of learners with similar learning styles, you can afford to use a similar approach. However, if you have a class of mixed learning styles then you need to try to provide instruction using as many different methods as possible. Once you have answered these questions you can more expertly approach the question of how you are going to provide the class with the grammar they need. In other words, each class is going to have different grammar needs and goals and it is up to the teacher to determine these goals and provide the means with which to meet them. Inductive and Deductive First, a quick definition: Inductive is known as a bottom-up approach. In other words, students discovering grammar rules while working through exercises. For example, a  reading comprehension which includes a number of sentences describing what a person has done up to that period in time. After doing the reading comprehension, the teacher could begin to ask questions such as: How long has he done this or that? Has he ever been to Paris? etc. and then follow with When did he go to Paris? To help the students inductively understand the difference between the simple past and the present perfect, these questions could be followed with which questions spoke about a definite time in the past? Which questions asked about the persons general experience? etc. Deductive is known as a top-down approach. This is the standard teaching approach that has a teacher explaining rules to the students. For example, the present perfect is made up of the auxiliary verb have plus the past participle. It is used to express an action which has begun in the past and continues to the present moment,  etc. Grammar Lesson Outline A teacher needs in the first place to facilitate learning. That is why we recommend providing students with inductive learning exercises. However, there are certainly moments when the teacher needs to explain grammar concepts to the class. Generally, we recommend the following class structure when teaching grammar skills: Begin with an exercise, game, listening, etc. that introduces the grammar concept.Ask students questions that will help them identify the grammar concept to be discussed.Follow with another exercise that more specifically focuses on the grammar concept, but takes an inductive approach. This could be a reading exercise with questions and responses in the structures that are being taught.Check responses, ask students to explain the grammar concept that has been introduced.At this point introduce teaching explanations as a way of clearing up misunderstandings.Provide an exercise which focuses on the correct construction of the grammar point. This could be an exercise such as a fill the gap, cloze or tense conjugation activity.Ask students to once again explain the concept. As you can see, the teacher is facilitating students to do their own learning rather than using the top-down approach of dictating rules to the class.

Innate and Adaptive Immunity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Innate and Adaptive Immunity - Assignment Example   IgG antibodies appear after a longer period and then remain in the bloodstream permanently, providing protection against re-infection (New Jersey Department of Health, 2011). In view of this, quarantine should be imposed on the patient if the IgM antibodies are present. This would mean that this is a case of the first infection. Otherwise, the patient should not be quarantined. IgG antibodies can be present in blood because of vaccination (Lab Tests Online, 2012). Question 2 A secondary infection occurs when a pathogen attacks an organism whose immune system is weak due to an earlier infection. Secondary responses result from the stimulation of B cells. The clonal expansion theory has three key areas: specificity, memory, and tolerance. Specificity comes about since the production of antigen-specific antibody is in response to triggering of antigen-reactive clones. Memory is because subsequent responses to an antigen are stronger than the initial one. Tolerance is because of the destruction of self-reactive B and T cells. When an antigen with multiple epitopes gains enters the body, different clones of B cells recognize and produce antibodies against the different epitopes. The pathogens have antigens on their surface. Antibody response to protein antigen actively involves T cells and B cells. Since CD4 T lymphocytes stimulate B cells, they are known as helper T cells. Cytotoxic T cells kill other cells that virus-infected, allografts or cancer cells. Helper T cells secrete cytokines. Cytokines provide amplification mechanism by proliferation and differentiation (stimulation of B cell clonal expansion). They also determine the type of antibodies produced (Sridhar, 2012). Question 3 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks a protein, CD4, on helper T cells of the immune system and associated with it. These cells are the immune system’s main infection-fighting cells. T helper cells are necessary for the activation of B-cells and cytotoxic T-cell immu ne responses. During this time, the body cannot make antibodies properly. Destruction of infected cells cannot occur without helper T-cells. Production of antibodies occurs in an effort to fight the virus. An HIV blood test is one that detects HIV antibodies. The body produces antibodies in response to HIV antigen. Therefore, in as much as the virus is destroying the helper T cells, the body continues to produce antibodies to fight the virus. These are the antibodies detected in an HIV antibody test. A negative result on a blood test means that either the person is not infected or that one is infected, but production of antibodies has not occurred. This is because, after the initial infection, it takes time for the body to produce antibodies. Seroconversion is the process of conversion from antibody negative to antibody positive blood (Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, 2007). Question 4 Innate immunity exists prior to antigenic exposure while adaptive immunity develops in response to antigen exposure. For adaptive immunity, resistance develops with repeated exposure to antigen, but for innate immunity, repeated exposure has no effect on resistance. Innate immunity is not specific to any antigen. The adaptive response, on the other hand, is antigenic specific. This means the ability to respond in a quickly during re-exposure to a pathogen (University of Arizona, 2008).  

Wal-Mart Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wal-Mart - Article Example It also has an incredible team of executives who form its leadership. This has equipped Wal-Mart with management of high caliber. Finally, the Company spends its resources carefully with the aim of maximizing their margins while reducing costs. The company focuses on strategies such as everyday low prices that helped it stay ahead of its competitors. More so, the company’s retailer opened new small stores, which helped it overcome its competitors such as Amazon.com and dollar stores. It faced tough competition from these companies but it managed to make profits. The company has been replacing its discount stores with supercentres. In this supercentres, Wal-Mart added grocery products and other new services to its existing traditional merchandise offerings. The company tried to expand internationally by offering the everyday low prices strategy. More so, it opened more formats and ventured into e-commerce opportunities. The company should reshuffle its top management in United States to head the U.S stores. In addition, the company needs to replace urban stores with Wal-Mart express stores, which will resemble convenience stores. The company had to rely on e-commerce by expanding its online business such as moving into digital books, appliances, music, and groceries. This made it compete with Amazon.com since it took advantage of its physical presence by providing daily pickup for digital or online

The Family Structure as a “Mythical Force” in the Fate of the Heroines Essay Example for Free

The Family Structure as a â€Å"Mythical Force† in the Fate of the Heroines Essay In the long history of Chinese Literature, the role of women has always been very limited to isolated cases only. These limitation and restriction refer of course not only to women fictionists, poets, and other writers but also to women characters in fiction, poems, and other writings. As a matter of fact, it is said that women’s literature has been badge by critics as inferior and mediocre in the context of a larger Chinese literary theory. This can be attributed to the many and varied restrictions imposed on women not only in mainstream and classic Chinese literature but also in Chinese society[i]. At the onset, China has been portrayed by both Chinese and foreigners as a country which is known to have observed two of the most women-biased practices in the world. First is a place where there is a palpable patriarchal family system where women are assigned and restricted to traditional domestic roles. Second is a place where 1949 revolution and post- Mao reforms has thwarted marriage and family life altogether[ii]. Traditional China is known to have a government that reserve officialdom and educational opportunities exclusively for men. Women would only have an opportunity to learn through family ties and clans. For the most part of the population such as the peasant, the artisans, and the merchants, most of the women would not even have an opportunity for education as opposed to the members of educated elite where women have a chance to at least learn little things like playing a musical instrument, learning how to paint, and learning how to play chess. However, girls are only limited to learn such things as compared to their brothers who go to schools and taught by private tutors. This disparity is attributed to two reasons. First, there is no such thing as lure of wealth and fame for the family that accompanied girls’ involvement in civil service examinations and official career. Second, the Chinese society dictates that the primary and foremost role of a woman is to fulfill her prescribed functions in the family as a wife, a mother, and a daughter-in-law. For the most part in the history of China, women’s lives have been devoted to the preparation for and actual undertaking of these traditional roles in their own nuclear family and most especially the family of their husbands[iii]. At an early age, young girls are undertaking an exclusive feminine training program. This is followed in a very strict manner from one family to another. At the age of seven, the girl must be separated from her brothers and other male relatives. She will then be send in her own apartment where her only company would only be her nurse, her maidservant, and the female members of the family like mothers and sisters. At the age of ten, he will then be taught various and important domestic arts such as sewing, weaving, embroidering, and supervising household. In her middle late teens, her marriage will then be arranged by her parents and will have to devote her life to her husband, parents-in-law, and children[iv]. Marriage in China is not the kind of marriage that we know it today. It is an alliance of two families rather than an alliance of two lovers. The bride and the groom desires and choices were taken into consideration only if they are not contrary to the concern and interest of the family[v].   There is a high range of parental involvement in the marriage choices of their children. As a matter of fact, parents often initiate the matchmaking most especially in urban areas. It is also said that mothers have exercised more influence in their children’s marriages than fathers as a general rule[vi]. Women have the greatest burden in them because they are expected to behave in certain fashion and to have the perfect qualities of a wife. In general, a bride is expected to have accomplished her three major responsibilities. It is believed that to fall short of these expectations would bring disgrace to herself, her parents, and to her clan. First of these three obligations would be to perform domestic duties. This would include cooking, sewing, embroidering, taking care of children, and other domestic roles that she is taught and expected to learn and practice by heart and soul such as Mrs. Wenqing in A Posthumous Son by Ye Shaojun. Second of these obligations would be to attend to the needs and comfort of her husband and other elders. This is understood as not only doing domestic roles but also to be there for the husband in times of both physical and emotional needs. The third and the most important of all are the bearing and the raising of a male descendant[vii]. It is the fulfillment of the last obligation that a woman’s position and authority in the family is greatly hinged. It is believed that having a son is highly important because it is the only way to assure the continuity of the family line. If she can’t have a natural son, she would adopt from other family members and relatives. The family could also hire a concubine where the father could bear a child with. The child will then become a member of the family with the first wife as the acting mother of the child. He will then be incorporated in the first family as an heir as if he is a natural son of the first couple.     Throughout the lifetime of a married Chinese woman, she is totally confined within the sphere of her residence and her domestic roles. She can only have occasional trips to temples, scenic spots, and house of a relative but for the most part of her life she is confine in the four corners of the house of her husband[viii]. Not only are women depicted in this kind of roles and predicament in the society but also in literature. There are a lot of criticisms over the silencing of women not only in everyday life situations but also in literature[ix]. In particular, a Chinese household is represented primarily by a long string of ancestors that is traced back from one senior male to another senior male. This lineage is defined by the relationship of a father to his son and from brother to brother. In this sense, women are generally outsiders. They are only necessary for so long as they can reproduce sons and heirs. Otherwise, they are aliens in the husband’s family. After she is married to her husband, she is to retain her natal surname because she is expected to maintain links of her birth family to secure political alliances. This is only for this purpose, other than this; she is also an alien to her birth family as well. This means one thing, the woman is only recognized as a member of the family and as a blood relative for so long as they are beneficial to the ties. In other words, she is really an outsider to their personal lives. Daughters are only considered as a temporary member of his father’s household because she is expected to be married to her husband. Moreover, daughter also does not have a share in her father’s land and other properties[x]. In the stories that will discussed in the next paragraphs, it is evident that the role of women in the domestic sphere and the positions that they occupy in the household and in the family results not only to their inferiority but also to their demise and fall. This pre-determined roles that they have which is both imposed by the society and defined by patriarchal ideologies is the very reason why women in traditional China ended up to their graveyards and their misfortunes. This is also true in literature, the prescribed roles that women have in the household outline their troubles, grief, and fate. The roles that they have to fulfill for the benefit of the family are seldom appreciated and were never enough for their male counterparts. These demise and misfortune that they experienced and will experience could be explained not only because of their imposed traditional roles but also to their relationship with men especially their husbands. Women’s powerlessness coupled with men’s authority is the main reason why women’s lives fall apart. Because of these two factors, women are sent to their fall. First, they are unable to decide for themselves because of the prescribed roles imposed by the society. Second, they are unable to defy the norms because of a patriarchal authority and power that they are made to succumb to. These two factors work hand in hand to oppressed women not only in the society but also in literature. The heroines in the four stories that are to be discussed next will contextualize the abovementioned claim that this paper is espousing. At the onset, women are expected to accomplish all the three obligations that she is expected to have. The third and the most important one which is already mentioned earlier would be to produce an heir. In A Posthumous Son, the wife’s predicament started when she is unable to produce a son after several attempts. The first child was a daughter. The second up to the seventh one is also a daughter which saddened the mother and angered the father. It is evident that the Chinese tradition dislikes daughters. In Mr. Wenqing’s opinion: â€Å"But the third one was also a girl. This was getting a bit irritating. We’re not gardeners, what can we do with all these flowers, even if they do look pretty; as far as keeping us company in our old age is concerned, we don’t need that many! And then the fourth one was also a girl! I can’t help feeling that there must be something wrong with the way your body works, if it can only produce girls and nothing else. What’s the point in producing the same thing time after when what we need is some variety[xi]†. This quote suggest more than the dislike of daughters but also of attributing the entire fault to the woman. This statement by the father asserts his authority over the woman. Moreover, it also reasserts the responsibilities of the woman to produce a son. It is evident that all throughout the story the only concern of both the mother and the father was to produce a son and nothing else. As a matter of fact, the mother has already compensated her attention towards her other kids because of her desire to produce an heir. However, this desire is not wholly for her sake but only for the sake of the husband. It is evident that she is willing to undergo several pregnancies which are dangerous to her health just for the sake of fulfilling her obligation to her husband. â€Å"Nevertheless she did not give way to despair, since she retained her faith in her child-bearing capacity. Once more she pleaded him, ‘Please wait one more time, just this once! If there’s no change this time, I won’t stand in your way any longer. I don’t want to make things worse for either of us[xii]’† Furthermore, this story also affirms the earlier assertion that the role of a woman is reduced to their abilities to accomplish the very important obligation of hers which is to produce an heir. Otherwise, they can be replaceable and will be considered as a stranger or an alien in the household. The husband has in fact considered replacing her and has replaced her with another woman which can give him a son. â€Å"Only girls, never anything else! You can’t blame me, I’ve been as patient as any man could be, I’ve got no choice but to get another woman.[xiii].† This suggests that the relationship of husband and wife in the Chinese household is really all about having an heir and never about love and support. This is also true in the story Slaves’ Mother in which the father hired a concubine. Moreover, he was even willing to spend a fortune just for him to have a son with the second mother. This responsibility outlines the worth of the woman. In which case, it depresses her when she cannot fulfill them because this responsibility is equal to her life and her survival. As a matter of fact, it is evident that in the story she was likewise devastated as her husband when she found out that she cannot produce anything else but daughters. When she was still unable to produce a son, she was so sad that she wept almost always. Finally, when she was able to give birth to a son, it was believed that she was able to restore her dignity. Together with this, she has also restored her position in the household as a wife replacing the concubine’s role. â€Å"The senior’s wife dignity was from this point on restored, and all were unanimous in her praise. ‘Fortune’s caught up with her now,’ they agreed. She herself was very clear and now she was fully entitled to make demands[xiv].†This means that the fulfillment of the obligation is the only factor why she enjoyed that position. When the son died, she went back to her original demise. The death of the son even further caused the demise and the fall of the entire family when her husband died or committed suicide in the river. In this kind of situation, the woman’s reason for living is reduce to her functions and not to her essence as a living being. The story is a commentary of two things. First, women’s roles in the household are always upheld to the extent that it becomes the very essence of her existence. Second, the man can do whatever he pleases and can alienate the woman as long he wanted provided that she is unable to fulfill her responsibilities. The demise of the woman will have to result to the fall of the whole family which is a reaffirmation of the secret power that the woman has in the family which is seldom appreciated and recognized. Another story entitled the Slaves’ Mother by Rou Shi as mentioned earlier is also a commentary on how a woman is expected to fulfill her responsibilities both as a wife and a producer of an heir. However, the story added another element to the role of the woman, that is, breadwinning. But everything still boils down to her obligation to provide an heir to another man. The wife’s predicament in this story is different from the first story in the sense that she is not fertile to produce nothing but daughters. Her demise lies in the fact that her husband cannot earn a living because of his disease. This shifts the burden of breadwinning to the wife which was likewise left without a choice. This story is a commentary on the role of the wife to the household as different to the prescribed as far as it is in relation to his original husband. Instead of just being a wife, the woman is attributed a different role, that is, to earn a living for the husband and the child. In the words of the husband: â€Å"There is nothing for it. If we go on this way we’ll even be selling our little cooking pots before long. Looks as though you’ll have to provide the solution. No use your staying and starving with me.[xv]† This is a blunt admission on the part of the man that he can no longer support the family which is supposed to be his responsibility. In this sense, the role of the woman is uplifted to a higher level than the man but is still hinged unto the main obligations that a woman should take part in as the society. But this does not last for very long because the woman was still restricted to her traditional role as a wife in her second husband’s household. She was still expected to produce a son which she was able to accomplish. However, even with this, she was still brought to her failure by losing both sons away from her. When she gave birth to the second son, she was longing for the first. When she was finally with the firs son, she was longing for the second. This can be explained through the previous line of thought already mentioned earlier. The very essence of a woman’s role has become the very essence of her existence. Without the fruits of his responsibilities which are her sons, she cannot survive. Her worth is measured through her ability to produce an heir. In the story, even if the woman has successfully undergone the responsibility in an easy manner, still she lost both sons. The firs son was lost because she was not able to take care of him due to her being away from her. The second son was lost because he was simply not destined to be hers since she was just a second wife. Secondly, the authority of the first husband is also evident as she was unable to defy his orders when he ordered she had to be sold to another man for the family to be able to eat. This is another factor to the fall of the woman in the story. It is evident that everything the husband told her is a matter of compliance on the part of the wife. She was willing to leave her two-year old son just to fulfill the orders of the husband. She was willing to endure the pain of giving birth to another child because her husband told her so. Even at the end of the story, the husband was still very authoritative. â€Å"Neither she nor her husband spoke. As night fell his drooping head straightened up and she said: ‘Cook us a meal’[xvi].†

A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

â€Å"†¦It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart.† The background of â€Å"A separate Peace† is the Second World War and the focus of book is a group of sixteen-year-old boys who are moving towards a war. The extract comes from the end of the book where Due to what Gene had done to Finny, he has been made to look at himself and now sees the war differently from the other boys. Gene has been forced to face his own â€Å"ignorant heart,† and he now feels that he understands that people can be evil and hurt those who love them. Gene now knows that wars are created not by generations but by the human â€Å"ignorant heart†. In â€Å"A separate Peace† there are two wars being fought. The major war is Word War Two while the other war is the one that Gene tries to create between himself and Finny. This is war is always a single sided battle, as it is both created and fought in the mind of Gene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of this novel Gene is very â€Å"Ignorant† of his heart. He constantly lies, not only to others but also to him self. Finny on the other hand is a very honest person, he never lies about anything to make him sound or feel better about himself. An example of this is the incident where the boys are asked their height and Genes says he is 5’9 and Finny corrects him by saying, â€Å"no your five foot eight and a half, the same as me.† This quote shows the honesty that Finny possesses and that Gene lacks. Gene refuses to admit that he isn’t tall while Finny openly admits it. Gene refuses to admit that he isn’t brave or that his motives for injuring Finny where entirely false. Gene cannot face what he is and this leads to tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because Gene is dishonest he imagines that everyone else is as well. Gene imagines that Finny’s character is exactly the same as his, which of course it isn’t. Gene builds up hate, anger and fear of the character that he has given to Finny. Since this is his own character and not Finny’s at all, the emotions that Gene feels towards this character are really what he feels towards his own character.

Quick Money

Over the weekend Lucy organized a sleep over for a friend who was interested in making some quick money. Rob tried to molest her. Lucy's friend resisted, and that is how the scuffle began. Karen; Lucy's friend had known what she had come but needed a little persuasion as she had never that kind of stuff and she desperately needed money to bail her boyfriend out of prison. Lucy nudged her and later went to call dad who was waiting impatiently in the sitting room downstairs. The action used to happen in Lucy room. Dad staggered into the room, grabbed Karen by the neck and pinned her down to the bed. He a little bit violent when drunk. Karen let out a sharp shrill and gathered enough adrenaline to push dad who had already tore her red velvet dress apart and was mounting her.She succeeded but lost her step and fell on her belly two steps from the leg of the bed. With hawk instincts Rob rose and grabbed her by the ankle. Rob pulled her back towards him and she reacted by kicking him thrice in his face, a matter that escalated the tension and made Rob become more rabid as he started nose bleeding. He was now on his feet and his sinister motive was written all over his face as his boner had receded. A panic struck Karen leaped out of the room and tried to shut the door behind her but Rob's hand was already on her left arm. Karen jerked from the tight grip and hit her back on the rails of the first floor, she lost balance and landed on the ground head first. By then Lucy was just stepping back into the house. I called for the ambulance immediately but the time it got to the house she had already passed out and was pronounced dead upon arrival in the hospital. ReferenceMelatonin signalin , Kj Schippers, SA Nichols 2014Guiding life dark secret, LM Friedman 2007