Courage Mother and her Children critique Essay Example for Free

Courage Mother and her Children critique Essay â€Å"Mother Courage and Her Children† by Bertolt Brecht took place during the 30 Years’ War in Europe. The whole play revolved around the survival of a lower class family, trying to live through the harsh war with their canteen wagon business. Each scene in the play contained the factors of religious, honesty, war, loyalty, and family. The theme of â€Å"Mother Courage and Her Children† was maternity, due to the fact that Mother Courage’s sense of coldhearted business caused her become unable to protect her children, which led to their deaths, leaving her all alone in the end. Mother Courage was always doing business while each of her children died during the play. This shows that she was more interested in her business and money than her own children, and an example of this can be seen when her thirst for money had caused Swiss to die because she took too long to decide whether or not to trade her money in for her son’s life. Mother Courage was the protagonist in the play, while the war was the antagonist. The war caused Mother Courage to base her living on it. Due to the fact that they were living during a war, this caused Mother Courage to be so focused on making money, that she ended up neglecting her children. It also caused her to be unable to watch her daughter get married, since Kattrin could only get married when peace returned and the war ended. War is also the antagonist, due to the fact that is also caused Mother Courage to lose her sons as well. The play was a tragedy because in it, Mother Courage’s children all perished, and she was left all alone in the end. In the play, Bretch assigned each of Mother Courage’s children with a â€Å"tragic flaw† as a result of her failure to learn to choose family over business. The tragedies that Mother Courage’s children suffered throughout the play were Swiss, with honesty, Eilif, with arrogance, and Kattrin, with pity. Mother Courage had to go through suffering of the death of each of her children one by one and was unable to do anything about it. The set of the play was a major contribution to the play. The use of a proscenium stage was the best fit for this type of play since it allowed the audiences to focus on the center of the stage where Mother Courage’s wagon was. Mother Courage’s family always moved around. However, their wagon was still placed at nearly the same spot on the stage, which tells the audience that they were not moving anywhere because no matter where they moved to, they still faced the same struggles and hardships. Even though the setting mostly remained the same from scene to scene, backgrounds changed from one scene to another, which allowed the audience to know that the scene was taking place in a different location. There was almost always the same lighting throughout the whole play. The only thing that changed about the lights was the brightness; the lights were brighter during the day and dimmer at night. There were some spotlights. However, it only appeared upon the actors who came before each scene, in order to tell the audience what will happen in the upcoming scene. The lighting of â€Å"Mother Courage Mother and Her Children,† was different from the other play that I went to. Usually lights would go off when changing from one scene to another, so that characters were able to get on and off stage, in order to prepare the set for the scene. However, in this play, the lights were still on during scene transitions. Bretch made pulling the wagon in and out of the stage as an exit and enter for each scene, which didn’t require the actors to quickly change settings for different scenes. The background sound of gunshots and bombs that were playing throughout the play allowed the audience to feel as if the war was actually taking place during the play. The gunshots sounded very loud, making the audience feel as if it was nearby. Without the sounds, the audience would not have been able to feel the mood of the war. Sounds of gunshots added more effects to the mood of war, giving the audience an the image of how deadly the war was. The play was a musical play, since there were many parts where Mother Courage and some singers in the background sang and played instruments. The entrance to the play was also a song that expressed the mood and feeling of the war. Mother courage sang in almost every scene, to express her feelings. She also sang in the last part of the play when Kattrin died. The costumes of the play reflected the life of the characters in the play. The costumes did not really tell the time period in which the play took place because the characters were just wearing normal types of rural clothes that had many layers, and were attached with many pieces of fabric. The characters in the play had the same outfit throughout the whole play, and this outfit not only showed their poverty, but also the condition of life during the war, due to the fact that they were unable to have clothes to change into. The many layers of clothes worn were everything that the characters owned, and this showed their struggles, due to the fact that they are unable to buy any new clothes. Overall, the play was easy to understand because it was in modern English and there were no accent in the characters’ pronunciation, which allowed the audience to understand what the characters were saying. Mother Courage struggled throughout her life with her business and children, but ended up with nothing due to the war, in which she was favoring. The war had brought Mother Courage the business she needed, but took away her children one by one.

Gravity :: essays research papers fc

Gravity has many benefits to humanity. It holds us to the earth so we do not fall off the earth and die in space. It holds the planets in orbit around the sun, and moons in orbit around their planets. It also holds stars in orbit around the center of the universe. (Gibben, page 14) Sir Isaac Newton thought that God created a perfect universe. He thought our universe was so perfectly designed that if God left the universe could run by itself. This view was extremely different early pagan scientist and offered new views about gravity. (Lindley page 34 and 35). Some two-hundred years later Einstein developed the General theory of Relativity. In this theory he stated that matter disturbs space-time. he said that the universe is like a giant rubber sheet and objects such as stars bend space-time. (Gibben, page 49.) One of a gravity's most complicated features are black holes. Black holes are objects that have as strong or stronger pull of gravity as stars such as the sun compacted into a extremely small space. It is so strong that light can not escape a black hole. It has been proven that black holes leak. The smaller the black hole is the more it leaks. (Gibben, page 46) If a object is put in the path of a black hole the process of spegetification begins. This process begins when an object falls under gravity it stretches and stretches into a long thin object. the only way to get out is by traveling faster than the speed of light. (Gibben, page 63) According to Newton, if the sun was to disappear, the sun's gravity would immediately disappear with it. This would cause the gravitational attraction of the sun and earth to immediately leave into outer space. Then the earth along with all the other planets, moons, and asteroids would fling into space.

A Drinking Life: A Memoir

A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill is the story of one man’s struggle with alcoholism and the contributing factors that caused him to be become an alcoholic. A large part of his argument is that during his childhood and adolescence it was considered cool to drink heavily. He stated â€Å"There was a celebration and you got drunk.There was a victory and you got drunk†¦part of being a man was to drink.† (p. 57) Parents have great authority over the formation of social habits of their children even if the children are not aware of this influence. â€Å"†¦parents and peers affect adolescent drinking through two types of social influence: modeling and social control.† (Reifman, Barnes, Dintcheff, Farrell & Uhteg, 1998)Hamill’s father was an alcoholic so he was introduced to it at a young age. Many of his memories are of his father passed out or extremely drunk and he claims this role model gave him the idea that men were supposed to drink. Children of alc oholic parents have a higher risk to be alcoholics themselves. According to Tomori (1994) â€Å"Such adolescents use alcohol to relieve anxiety, reduce dissatisfaction and mistrust, and give vent to accumulated aggression.In adolescents brought up in alcoholic family environments, alcohol, entering through several receptor sites, fills many gaps left over from the development period prior to separation. Their parents–either the alcoholic parent, or the partner living with him/her in co-dependency, or both of them–who are themselves filled with distress, depression, and anxiety, usually cling to their children while at the same time manifesting overt signs of resentment and rejection.In this state of pathological ambivalence, they both reject their children and try to tie them to themselves, thus seriously hindering their separation. As a result, many children of alcoholic parents develop defensive aggression or passive resistance, or take recourse to some other inappr opriate patterns of defensive behavior.†Hamill explains in the book that he was always fighting someone. He either fought in bars or in the street, over an imagined slight or to defend himself but he was more aggressive than the usual person and it was always while he was drinking.Much of the book is devoted to his childhood and adolescence during and after World War II. The secret drinking, which began at a young age, was the classic experimentation that many alcoholics describe as the beginning of their addiction. Hamill tells of his wish to be different from his father and not to become a drunk â€Å"and yet drinking started to seem as natural to real life as breathing.† (p. 107)Hamill paints a picture of a rough Irish Catholic neighborhood and the drinking and fighting that were an integral part of his world. For a time he made his own money, giving some to his mother since his father lost his job. He attended high school and hung out with his friends, all the while increasing his drinking.He did not consider it a problem at first; he believed that he was not drunk as long as he knew where he was and what he was doing. As he entered high school, the drinking increased and became less secretive, due partly to the fact that teenagers were expected to drink and act a little wildly. This, unfortunately, is not beneficial to a decent grade average and Hamill began to fail all his classes after only two years of high school.One thing Hamill sees as a failure on his part is his lack of belief in God. While he does not attribute his addiction to this, he tells of his anger at the church for double standards regarding the poor and the fact that at least one of the priests was â€Å"like my father: a drunk.† (p. 106) This lack of respect for the church prevented him from relying on his faith as many do in times of crisis in their lives.

The Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay

Drake Usher Ms. Zamanis Honors English II March 18, 2016 Othello Essay â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello,† by William Shakespeare, is about the tragic downfall of a once great man named Othello by the manipulation of Iago, the antagonist of the story. However, a deeper meaning of Othello could be â€Å"[It] is a tragedy of incomprehension, not at the level on intrigue but at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello come to understand himself or anyone else.† It is debated on whether or not this is truly the characters meet their demise. This quote is an excellent representation of both why and how the characters of Othello meet all of their downfalls and how they are tricked by Iago. Such evidence in the story to support this quote are Othello’s insecurity of his relationship, Roderigo’s inability to live without Desdemona, and how everyone relies on Iago for help. These are just instants where the characters did not understand each other are Cassio and Desdemona being unaware of the motivations for Oth ello’s hatred toward them, Iago cannot accept the fact that Cassio was chosen for lieutenant over himself, and no one realizes that Iago was using everyone to his advantage until the very end. Othello becomes insecure with his marriage after Iago purposely creates an illusion that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Othello believes Iago, not just because of Iago’s â€Å"evidence,† but because Othello always had a feeling Desdemona would leave him for someone else becauseShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare757 Words   |  4 Pages The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare uses many literary devices to enhance and provide greater complexity in his works. More specifically, the theme, symbolism, and dramatic irony are used to enrich Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello. The plot is definitely engaging but the theme allows for an universal human correspondence, furthering the depth of the author’s message. The element of symbolism contributes to the theme of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Symbolism expressesRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare938 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Tragedy of Othello† is commonly considered one of Shakespeare s greatest tragedies and one of his finest works. In this play we see many literary devices at work. Several of these devices are involved in Iago’s deceitful plot against Othello that creates much suspense for the duration of the play. In â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello,† William Shakespeare uses symbolism, irony, and tone to create this classic drama . Symbols are central to understanding â€Å"Othello† as a play. There are two significantRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay1418 Words   |  6 Pagesentertainment through their literature since the first known published work. However, for many centuries the writer has also been seen to have a diagnostic function, scrutinizing the ills of their society and portraying them for the world to see. William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, was an English playwright, poet and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world s most distinguished dramatist. His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 playsRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1141 Words   |  5 Pages2 Hr 16 December 2014 Othello Essay The Tragedy of Othello The renowned play of Othello was written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century. The drama follows the life of Othello, a well-respected and admired Venetian general, and the lie he gets tangled up in. Othello is deceived by his â€Å"trustworthy† friend, Iago, who confidently convinces Othello that his honest wife, Desdemona, committed infidelity upon him with his honorable lieutenant, Cassio. At the start, Othello doesn’t quite believe IagoRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1737 Words   |  7 PagesThe Tragedy of Othello the: Moor of Venice was written by William Shakespeare, and it is only one of countless notable plays he wrote. A reoccurring theme in Othello is jealousy brought on usually by deception; throughout the play people often hide their true intentions and are not always what they appear to be like W.H Auden said â€Å"There s always another story. There s more than meets the eye.† The relationships Iago built on manipulatio n, lies, and false promises were a crucial part of the play;Read MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare998 Words   |  4 Pages The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice is William Shakespeare’s play, written around sixteen hundreds. The Tragedy of Othello is not just a story of jealousy; this is a tragedy of the clash of two worlds. One of them is a world of absolute cynic, manipulate or Iago; the second world is the world of all the other characters in the tragedy, including, possibly, even Othello. Even though both of the main male characters, Iago and Othello, are murderers, they have different types of charactersRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare864 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, Emilia is portrayed as a women who doesn’t have enough self-confidence. She does many awful misdeeds to please her husband, and hopes that he will give her some affection. She just want to make her husband happy. Emilia betrayed her lady Desdemona, because Lago asked for her handkerchief for a while and since she just dropp ed it, suddenly, Emilia thought that this was her opportunity to quickly grab it and make LagoRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1133 Words   |  5 PagesThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, is a play written by William Shakespeare between 1601 and 1604 in England. Shakespeare is a legendary author, poet, and play writer. He has wrote many plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear Othello is about a black general by the name of Othello who is desperately in love with a young woman named Desdemona. They marry and attempt to build a life together, even though Othello is way older than she is, he’s black, and did not come fromRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1854 Words   |  8 PagesThe play â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice† by William Shakespeare is often listed among the greatest stories of tragedies which explores numerous controversial topics including Inter-racial marriage, racism, j ealousy and revenge. While the titular character Othello is the protagonist of the story and definitely does occupy a large part of the play, the real focus of the play is on the ‘ingenuous’ Iago who makes everyone dance on his fingers and successfully manipulates them. The â€Å"Honest†Read MoreThe Tragedy Of William Shakespeare s Othello959 Words   |  4 Pagesthey have to deal with. According to dictionary.com, a struggle is defined as, â€Å"a forceful/violent attempt or effort to get free from restraint or contrition†. Some of these personal struggles are more pronounced than other. From Othello, the tragedy by William Shakespeare, we can see how humans are faced with individual contentions, and their daily actions are ways and efforts of trying to free themselves. In the discussion below we consider Othello’s struggle with being different, gullibility, timidity The Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay Writers have been responsible for providing wisdom and entertainment through their literature since the first known published work. However, for many centuries the writer has also been seen to have a diagnostic function, scrutinizing the ills of their society and portraying them for the world to see. William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, was an English playwright, poet and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world s most distinguished dramatist. His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright, past and present. One of the most famous examples of these plays is the tragedy of â€Å"Othello†, believed to have been written in approximately 1603. The work revolves around four central characters; Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army; his new wife, Desdemona; his lieutenant, Cassio; and his trusted ensign, Iago. Throughout the play of â€Å"Othello†, William Shakespeare diagnoses and portrays two ills within his own society, which are undeniably still present in society today. Shakespeare portrays the issues of prejudice against race and prejudice against gender. In this essay I will discuss how, through the play of â€Å"Othello†, Shakespeare portrays these still current themes as well as how they were huge issues within theShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare757 Words   |  4 Pages The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare uses many literary devices to enhance and provide greater complexity in his works. More specifically, the theme, symbolism, and dramatic irony are used to enrich Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello. The plot is definitely engaging but the theme allows for an universal human correspondence, furthering the depth of the author’s message. The element of symbolism contributes to the theme of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Symbolism expressesRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare938 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Tragedy of Othello† is commonly considered one of Shakespeare s greatest tragedies and one of his finest works. In this play we see many literary devices at work. Several of these devices are involved in Iago’s deceitful plot against Othello that creates much suspense for the duration of the play. In â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello,† William Shakespeare uses symbolism, irony, and tone to create this classic drama . Symbols are central to understanding â€Å"Othello† as a play. There are two significantRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesDrake Usher Ms. Zamanis Honors English II March 18, 2016 Othello Essay â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello,† by William Shakespeare, is about the tragic downfall of a once great man named Othello by the manipulation of Iago, the antagonist of the story. However, a deeper meaning of Othello could be â€Å"[It] is a tragedy of incomprehension, not at the level on intrigue but at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello come to understand himself or anyone else.† It is debated on whether or not this isRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1141 Words   |  5 Pages2 Hr 16 December 2014 Othello Essay The Tragedy of Othello The renowned play of Othello was written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century. The drama follows the life of Othello, a well-respected and admired Venetian general, and the lie he gets tangled up in. Othello is deceived by his â€Å"trustworthy† friend, Iago, who confidently convinces Othello that his honest wife, Desdemona, committed infidelity upon him with his honorable lieutenant, Cassio. At the start, Othello doesn’t quite believe IagoRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1737 Words   |  7 PagesThe Tragedy of Othello the: Moor of Venice was written by William Shakespeare, and it is only one of countless notable plays he wrote. A reoccurring theme in Othello is jealousy brought on usually by deception; throughout the play people often hide their true intentions and are not always what they appear to be like W.H Auden said â€Å"There s always another story. There s more than meets the eye.† The relationships Iago built on manipulatio n, lies, and false promises were a crucial part of the play;Read MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare998 Words   |  4 Pages The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice is William Shakespeare’s play, written around sixteen hundreds. The Tragedy of Othello is not just a story of jealousy; this is a tragedy of the clash of two worlds. One of them is a world of absolute cynic, manipulate or Iago; the second world is the world of all the other characters in the tragedy, including, possibly, even Othello. Even though both of the main male characters, Iago and Othello, are murderers, they have different types of charactersRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare864 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, Emilia is portrayed as a women who doesn’t have enough self-confidence. She does many awful misdeeds to please her husband, and hopes that he will give her some affection. She just want to make her husband happy. Emilia betrayed her lady Desdemona, because Lago asked for her handkerchief for a while and since she just dropp ed it, suddenly, Emilia thought that this was her opportunity to quickly grab it and make LagoRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1133 Words   |  5 PagesThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, is a play written by William Shakespeare between 1601 and 1604 in England. Shakespeare is a legendary author, poet, and play writer. He has wrote many plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear Othello is about a black general by the name of Othello who is desperately in love with a young woman named Desdemona. They marry and attempt to build a life together, even though Othello is way older than she is, he’s black, and did not come fromRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1854 Words   |  8 PagesThe play â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice† by William Shakespeare is often listed among the greatest stories of tragedies which explores numerous controversial topics including Inter-racial marriage, racism, j ealousy and revenge. While the titular character Othello is the protagonist of the story and definitely does occupy a large part of the play, the real focus of the play is on the ‘ingenuous’ Iago who makes everyone dance on his fingers and successfully manipulates them. The â€Å"Honest†Read MoreThe Tragedy Of William Shakespeare s Othello959 Words   |  4 Pagesthey have to deal with. According to dictionary.com, a struggle is defined as, â€Å"a forceful/violent attempt or effort to get free from restraint or contrition†. Some of these personal struggles are more pronounced than other. From Othello, the tragedy by William Shakespeare, we can see how humans are faced with individual contentions, and their daily actions are ways and efforts of trying to free themselves. In the discussion below we consider Othello’s struggle with being different, gullibility, timidity