Tony Hoagland’s Poem, Beauty - 563 Words

Everyday people stare at billboards, magazine covers, movies, television, or pictures on the Internet of someone or something that they classify as beautiful. Some things people glance over and other things fascinate them. For example, when Farrah Fawcett’s famous picture of her in her red bathing suit came out; many teenage boys hung that picture in their bedrooms. Their idea of Farrah’s beauty was based strictly her outward appearance. In Tony Hoagland’s poem, â€Å"Beauty†, the young girl, decides what beauty truly is. Earlier in this girl’s life, she was obsessed with being beautiful. Her brother sees her â€Å"†¦watching her reflection in the mirror/ sucking in her stomach and standing straight† (7-8) trying to make herself seem more beautiful. After all her vain efforts, â€Å"†¦her time of prettiness/was over, done, finite†. She desperately wanted to believe that she was beautiful again. â€Å"Mind over matter† is a saying someone hears a lot when their brain will not allow them to do something. The reason that this saying gets repeated a lot is because the brain is not easily changed. The girl in the poem â€Å"Beauty† believes with both her heart and brain that â€Å"†¦she would/ never be beautiful again† (4-5). The fact that she has convinced herself into believing that she will never truly be beautiful again because her outward appearance has changed means that all that she thinks beauty only is what one could see when they first look at her. The fifteen-year-old girl in Marisa de los

Macbeth Openings Free Essays

How does Shakespeare create mood and atmosphere in the opening scenes of Macbeth? Act 1 Scene 1 is set in ‘an open place’, immediately indicating to the reader that something secretive is happening, the very setting of the first scene indicates tension to come. The stage direction reads ‘Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches. We will write a custom essay sample on Macbeth Openings or any similar topic only for you Order Now ’ The weather creates a tense atmosphere, when the scene is performed the weather acts as pathetic fallacy, further creating tension in the atmosphere; also the weather suggests a supernatural element, a common component of the Gothic genre. The witches talk in rhyming couplets, as though a chant; Witch 1 says ‘When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain? ’. This indicates the witches can see into the future, developing further on the supernatural element; Shakespeare mentions this power of the witches in the first scene to shock the audience, and to develop the sinister atmosphere. The witches agree to meet on ‘the heath’, an isolated and secretive location suggesting their intentions are evil. During this scene Macbeth is mentioned for the first time, the witches say they are to meet him, Shakespeare does this to foreshadow Macbeth’s link to evil, by suggesting Macbeth knows the witches the audience automatically associates Macbeth with the witches. The ending of the scene has great impact, all witches recite ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. ’ Again the witches are ‘chanting’ and talking in rhyming couplets, suggesting they have telepathic powers, securing the idea that they have supernatural powers. At the era in which Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, James I was King, he was extremely interested in Witches, so many suggest Shakespeare wrote the play to please the King, and his followers. Act 1 scene 1 is a short impact scene for dramatic effect, Shakespeare introduces the witches as the first characters in the play, and this is to foreshadow the evil to come and to engage the audience of the era. Act 1 scene 2 is set in ‘a camp’, King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lenox and their attendants meet a bleeding Captain. The characters are talking in Iambic pentameter, which mimics human speech; Shakespeare does this so the audience subconsciously trust the King. Shakespeare also does this to draw attention to the contrast between the Witches speaking in an eerie manner with rhyming couplets (unnatural) and these characters speaking normally. When the Captain speaks, he mentions ‘two spent swimmers’ and speaks with great respect of how these soldiers fought against ‘merciless Macdonwald’. He then mentions Macbeth is one of these ‘brave’ men, which highly contrasts from the impression we get of Macbeth in the first scene. The audience get the impression Macbeth is highly respected by the Captain and the King. However Shakespeare uses brutally violent language in the Captains description of Macbeth in action such as ‘bloody execution’, ‘carv’d’ and ‘till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’chops, And fix’d his head upon our battlements. ’ Shakespeare uses the violent language to reinforce Macbeth’s strength and brutality and to further exaggerate the tense atmosphere. Later in the scene the Captain mocks the idea that Macbeth may have been scared ‘As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion’ showing Macbeths determination and ruthlessness; he also compares Macbeth fighting to ‘Golgotha’ the scene of Christ’s death, creating this immortal imagery of Macbeth before the audience have seen him. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth through word of mouth in both Act 1 scene 1 and scene 2 to show his strength and hint at his evil streak, this creates a tense mood awaiting the introduction of Macbeth’s character. Throughout the scene Shakespeare introduces people that witnessed Macbeth’s bravery in the battle one at a time to show their appreciation and to emphasize his strength, structurally this builds tension and gradually the atmosphere becomes more and more tense. During this scene Shakespeare also introduces the theme of deception; the Thane of Cawdor has betrayed King Duncan by assisting his opponents in the battle. This theme heightens the tension and when the Thane of Cawdor is executed, Macbeth receives his title, moving him up further in the hierarchy. In Act 1 scene 3 we return to the witches located on the heath, an isolated and secretive area, with further pathetic fallacy of thunder. Shakespeare does this to heighten the tension back up for the audience wondering what the witches are going to do; after the slight relax of tension in the previous scene the pathetic fallacy quickly returns the extremely tense atmosphere. By switching from scene 1 with the witches then scene 2 without the witches back to scene 3 with the witches Shakespeare creates the idea that the witches are significant, implying that a significant event is to come in the following scene. Everything is drawing the audience’s attention to this scene. Within the scene the witches begin to discuss their evil actions, another element of the Gothic genre. Later the witches use parts of corpses to conjure up a spell, Shakespeare does this to elaborate further on the witches supernatural powers and to entice the audience with a common interest of the era. Macbeth enters directly after the spell takes place, therefore the mood is tense on his entry, Shakespeare does this to give greater dramatic effect to his entrance. Macbeth first line of speech is ‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen’ opening with the very same paradox the witches ended the first scene on; Shakespeare uses language to create a subconscious link between the evil witches and Macbeth, creating tension and foreshadowing further that Macbeth is evil. Macbeth’s loyal friend Banquo says ‘you should be women’ indicating the witches look supernatural and revolting, further heightening tensions within the audience. Later stage directions state the ‘Witches vanish’, elaborating further that the witches are in fact supernatural beings. Banquo has hallucinations, a common element of the Gothic theme, the sense of uncertainty in this soldier earlier described as a ‘spent swimmer’ creates the contrast and worry within the audience about the extent of the witches powers, the mood becomes more and more negative and curious as to what the witches are capable of. Later in the scene Macbeth, in an aside he says ‘As happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme. Meaning he is happy that the witches may be right and that he may be on his way to becoming King, which for an audience during this era would be shocking. Shakespeare does this for dramatic effect. This is soon followed by the implication that Macbeth has considered killing the King ‘whose horrid image doth unfix my hair’. This is outrageous to the Jacobean audience, the mood becomes angry and tense as Macbeth starts to become justifiably disliked. He seems the anti-hero with the fatal floor of ambition. The final hint is that a later aside Macbeth mimics the evil witches in using rhyming couplets, strengthening his link with them. Throughout these scenes Shakespeare uses violent and supernatural language, as well as contrast between iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets to strengthen the ongoing development of a tense atmosphere. The atmosphere revolves closely around Macbeth and foreshadows well for the events to follow. Shakespeare does this to highlight Macbeth’s introduction at the antagonist. How to cite Macbeth Openings, Essay examples

Crooks free essay sample

Crooks as the biggest victim on the ranch discuss Monday 24th October 2011 In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ Steinbeck presents Crooks, the black stable-buck as the biggest victim on the ranch because of his race. Crooks is also the most damaged person, emotionally and physically. He has a crooked back and has begun to mimic the cruel and violent behaviour of the other men on the ranch. The impact of his loneliness also makes him push people away, leaving him even more lonely and segregated. The other men exclude Crooks because he is black. He is not allowed to go into the bunkhouse with all the white men because they are racist and follow the racist behaviour of segregation. It is clear that Steinbeck is critisising wider society through his description of Crooks. Crooks has his own room ‘had his bunk in the harness room’ he lives alone and is no more important than the animals symbolised by the nearness to the animals. We will write a custom essay sample on Crooks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He is alone all the time and gets lonely but never admits it because he is too proud. Steinbeck show’s the irony of Candy saying ‘must be nice to have a room all to your self’. When Lennie comes in to his room, Crooks has right to ask him to leave but instead acts as though he didn’t want Lennie to stay. He says – ‘come on in and set a while†¦long as you wont get out and leave me alone. ’ The ellipsis’ show his hesitation after he admitted he wants the company he realizes and changed it around to say he wants to be alone. This is so Crooks can maintain his pride and his dignity. He his so lonely that he admits to Lennie – ‘just a guy talking to another guy doesn’t matter if he understands. ’ This tells us Crooks is happy talking to Lennie even though Lennie does not understand most of the things Crooks is saying. It is the company and the talking to another human that matters to him. Steinbeck also adds that Crooks ‘reads a lot’. Steinbeck implies that even though Crooks is treated badly he could be the most educated worker on the ranch has a better understanding of things than most of the other men and is wiser because he is older and has seen more things. Also he has a ‘Californian Civil Code’ book, because he has this book and reads it often he knows a lot about the laws of discrimination in different areas. He is interested in is rights as a black man unfortunately, despite his knowledge Crooks is unable to change anything. Slim is the only man who treats Crooks sympathetically. He respects Crooks more and talks to him some times. Slim is ‘kind’ and ‘is a good listener’ but Slim and Crooks are the opposite- Slim is respected and has power whereas Crooks is disrespected and beaten by the men because of the colour of his skin. Slim is a ‘tall man’ who is ‘capable of killing a fly on the wheelers butt without touching the mule’ but Crooks was just a ‘stable buck, nigger with a ‘crooked back’. Through this contrast, Steinbeck provokes pathos about Crooks’ life. Ironically, even Slim is effected by the hardship on the ranch casually drowns four pups. Steinbeck depicts Crooks as the most physically damaged person on the ranch. One of the reasons for this is that the white men beat Crooks, just because he was black. The boss uses Crooks to let his anger out – ‘the boss gives him hell when he’s mad. ’ Even though the boss hired Crooks to do a job he beats him when he is angry, this shows Crooks is of a low status on the ranch and that he matters the least. The men are also very cruel to Crooks when they say ‘ Jesus we had fun. They are referring to a time when they beat Crooks. This is very cruel he had no way of defending himself by fighting back because he has a crooked back and is much weaker he also has no one on his side. What is more brutal is that they did it just for pleasure this suggests that the ranch is corrupting everyone. Steinbeck warns us of the consequences of brutality in the wider world. Furthermore the cruelty Crooks faces made him cruel to Lennie when he says – ‘I don’t blame the guy you travel with for keeping you outta sight. ’ and ‘what if he don’t come back. Crooks wants to frighten Lennie and is clearly jealous of the companionship he has with George. When ‘Crooks face lightened with pleasure in his torture’ it shows that Crooks has learnt from the other men how to be cruel. This is also another way he has been damaged emotionally by the ranch because most of the men become cruel and it is a violent world where only the fittest will survive. Crooks wishes that he could have what George and Lennie have so he gets dragged in to the dream against his better judgment – ‘Never a god dammed one of em gets it just like hea ven. Here is Crooks talks about men trying to get land for themselves. He does not believe in God because his life has been so bad that there cannot be a God but he still equates land with heaven. Crooks is lonely and has a room to himself on the ranch and in it there were ‘hung broken harness strips in process of being mended, strips of new leather. ’ Ironically ’Being a stable buck he was more permanent than other men’ His permanency does not give him status he is all alone and unlike the bunk house where games are played in the evenings his room is filled with work objects so he would not get much time to relax or rest. Also in his room is ‘a range of medicine bottles for himself and the horses. ’ This is another example of him being no more important that the animals and also part of the discrimination against him. Steinbeck depicts Crooks as a victim by the description of his physical appearance. – ‘His body was bent over to the left by his Crooked spine’ His lean face was lined with deep wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were paler than his face. ’ His body is bent over because a horse has kicked him on the ranch so the ranch damages him physically. His lined face shows the evidence of the brutality of the ranch, he is older and weaker because of the hard work he has done and his thin, pain-tightened lips show the pain he is in. yet he still has to work everyday and he tries to soothe the pain by repeatedly applying liniment to his back. This reminds us of his pain – ‘he poured his liniment into his pink palmed hand. ’ Although Crooks is damaged by the ranch and has no status, he is a very proud, dignified man who wants people to respect the few rights he has, ‘you got no right to come in here’ he said to Lennie because his room was the only thing people has respect. He has read about black rights, he is interested in what rights he could have in other places. Although Crooks had the right to ban Candy and Lennie from his room the desire for company overrode this. He was happy to have the company of the two men, ‘well, why’n’t you kick ‘em out? ’ ‘I di’nt care much’. Steinbeck makes us sympathise with Crooks as he is presented as the biggest victim on the ranch because he is damaged mentally, physically and emotionally. Steinbeck also makes us sympathise with Crooks because he is lonely and how he is lonely from the isolation from the other men.