Confederacy of Dunces Essays: Last Encounter :: A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces - Last Encounter In his last encounter in the novel, Ignatius returns to the ill-reputed Night of Joy. He is still employed by Paradise Vendors and wears the ridiculous costume of a pirate that is mistaken for a Mardi Gras costume. Ignatius attends Dorian Greene's strange party and the distance between the "bodily" dunce and "intellectual" genius is extended. He tries to speak at the party but no one will listen and he cannot handle being rejected for his ideas so he leaves. Throughout the rest of the novel, Ignatius exhibits characteristics of a dunce according to the rest of the characters. At the point when Ignatius disrupts Darlene's Harlett O' Hara act, he follows a series of unfortunate events. The bird attacks him for his novelty earring and Ignatius runs around like a "big crazyman"(285). He bounces out of the bar and runs out into the street, only to come face to face with the headlights of the Desire bus. As Ignatius faints from shock, he shows the reader how awkward and clumsy he is. He ha s the chance to avoid everything that happens but his dunce tendencies take control. He is ridiculed by everyone at the scene for his possession of Lana Lee's naked pictures and ends up being the comedian and clown for the hour. Ignatius looks like a "dead cow lying in the street" according to the newspaper photograph and the reader sees the reactions to the incident from every character(289). Mr. Clyde sees Ignatius as "a big ape" and only wishes that he can retrieve his costume from him(293). Dr. Talc needs to find Ignatius to clear his name but decides against it when he sees the paper. He realizes that Ignatius is the dunce but that he also has a way of turning things around which may be detrimental to Dr. Talc. Miss Annie reads the paper and vows to run Ignatius and Irene out of the neighborhood. She is only worried about the reputation of the neighborhood. Patrolman Mancuso is grateful for his luck in stopping the chain of pornography sales along with the incarceration of the three brute women who had attacked him once before. Santa Battaglia talks to the picture of her mother and comments on how awful Irene must be feeling and has no remorse for Ignatius. Claude is only worried that he will not be able to handle such a disgrace as a stepson.

Hong Kong affect its future economy Essay

This research project seeks to bring out the effects of the Hong Kong population structure on the future economy of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a booming economy being one of the major financial districts of the South Asian region and its changing population structure has a lot to do with its workforce and in turn affects its working culture and present and future economic structure as well. Research Question: The research question for this project seek to study how or to what extent the population structure a regards to age and gender or social characteristics of the population tend to affect the present and future economy of Hong Kong. So there are two parts to this research project – the first part analyzes the population structure of Hong Kong with regards to the age and gender or social status and the second part brings out the economic structure of Hong Kong from its past to present changes and the future of Hong Kong economy in a more globalized world and the impact of global markets on the financial centre of Asia. The focused research question in this case brings out several dimension of the study as through the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative dimensions, the subjective and objective aspects of the study. The impact of the changes in population structure on the economy could be understood on the basis of changing population numbers and percentages quantitatively and the socioeconomic changes as understood qualitatively. The research question essentially focuses on the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of the research as it seeks to bring out the impact of population change in economic structure of Hong Kong in a descriptive manner and in accordance with socioeconomic changes, as in influence of wage, gender, age gaps and changes etc an also the direct statistical values and correlations between population and economic structures in terms of numbers and statistical values. The research question on the extent to which population structure affects the Hong Kong economy thus brings out this ‘extent’ in terms of numbers or real values as also in terms of description of changes in Hong Kong as what happens qualitatively when the population structure changes and what is the impact on the economy from a descriptive point of view. Like for example this can be related to lack of high living standards, poor health conditions of the elderly. These would be qualitative dimensions of the research and the values or percentages of changing population and simultaneously changing economy would be the quantitative aspects of research. These two methods are discussed further in the methodology section as given below. Background/Literature Review: A brief literature review is provided here and brings out the main points of research articles as published in journals and obtained from ingentaconnect or sciencedirect or JSTOR. The literature review is on the Hong Kong population and economic structure and articles published and written on these issues showing the impact of an ageing population on Hong Kong’s economy and job prospects and on the industries in Hong Kong as influenced by a global economy and ageing population. In this literature review section a study by Leigh (2006), a research article by Chui published 2003 and another by Fan and Lui (2003) have been selected. Leigh’s study shows the direct impact of ageing on Hong Kong’s economy, fiscal changes and living standards. Chui shows how the ageing population face problems of survival and housing in a fast paced Hong Kong economy and Fan and Lui talk of gender and wage gap in Hong Kong’s population that could redefine economic changes and structure. The studies chosen here highlight the qualitative aspects of the impact of ageing and gender changes in population or demography on the economic structure of Hong Kong. The participation of women has also increased significantly necessitating needs of study of the impact of gender on Hong Kong’s economy and how women’s participation in the workplace can change things for the economy. In a research article on the population structure of Hong Kong, Leigh (2006) has suggested that Hong Kong SAR’s population has been aging rapidly and aging could adversely affect the growth and living standards of people in Hong Kong. There has to be some change in economic and administrative policies in keeping with the aging or changing population according to the article. There is a high labor and productivity growth with increased migration of younger skilled workers from Chinese mainland in Hong Kong mainly due to Hong Kong’s booming economy and although this attenuates the economic impact of aging, there is no full offset of the impact of aging population on the economic structure of Hong Kong. According to Leigh, aging puts considerable pressure on public finances particularly as with aging there is also rising health costs that directly affect government spending. There are relatively fewer options that government has and opportunities to implement polices on this are also limited that could lessen the impact of aging on the governance and structure as demographic effects would start setting in by 2015 when the ratio of working population would peak. The Hong Kong SAR authorities have been focused on administrative and governance policies that would limit or reduce the fiscal impact of aging and they have also provided continued expenditure restraint on reform of health care financing with private health insurance systems, along with tax reforms and non age sensitive areas (Leigh, 2006). Considering the gradual ageing problem of Hong Kong, Chui (2001) suggest that Hong Kong as one of the Four Dragons of Asia is faced with the gradual ageing problem that seems to have affected the urban fabric of the city as also the general population. However one of the regions in which Hong Kong seems to be booming along with the economy is property development as Hong Kong is mainly based on a property led economy and the government as well as private and public property developers have been launching redevelopment projects for setting up new structures in Hong Kong. However as Chui points out the special needs problems of elderly people have not been attended to and most of Hong Kong’s elderly people are poor physically, financially and socially. However with urban renewal and changes, the elderly people are at disadvantage and face threats to their survival as they are not in a position to cope with the restructuring changes in Hong Kong’s fast paced urban development projects. There has also been a gradual weakening of the respect to Chinese traditional values and culture as for the respect given to the elderly and this along with nuclearization of families have added to the problems of the elderly. Chui writes that government housing policies in Hong Kong should emphasize on community care and ageing in place and help in solving housing problems and needs of the elderly. The study shows the plight of older people in Hong Kong, a booming economy in the South Asian region and a contrasting fate of the elderly people. The gender gap in wages has been analyzed by some researchers and the trend shows a narrowing gender gap in wages. According to Fan and Lui (2003), the narrowing gender gap may be related to women’s advantages compared with earlier times especially women’s changing positions at the workplace. Gender gap is found as smaller in occupations and industries that are less dependent on physical labour as men are more suitable for physically rigorous work. This shows that when an economy transforms from a manufacturing or production oriented approach to a more service oriented one, women’s productivity would be recognized an with increased women’s participation in service based economies, the gender gap on the basis of wage or participation at the workplace also decreases. A 1% random subsample was used in this study for two population censuses and the results of the experiment also support empirical results. Methodology The methodology to be used for this study will be both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The qualitative and quantitative data would be primarily available from the internet and research journal databases and journal articles will be selected along with studies by the Hong Kong government as based on the economic indicators, as well as statistical and other government reports on the population and GDP, GNP and labor or prices. Of course in this section we highlight the importance of theory and practice and differentiate between the theories and the practical implications of research and the use of methodology to explain these two features. The theories that will be dealt with will be economic theories and changes in the global economy along with changes in the Hong Kong economic structure. The practical implications here would be changes in the population structure statistically obtained and otherwise and population changes as indicated in journal articles that deal with ageing and its associated problems in Hong Kong. The theories and practice of the economic and population changes in Hong Kong will be obtained from journal articles selected from journal databases and these articles are obtained by using search terms such as ‘Hong Kong economy’, ‘Hong Kong population, ‘Ageing population, ‘South Asian Economy’, ‘Economic structure of Hong Kong, Population of Hong Kong, ‘Elderly in Hong Kong, ‘Employment in Hong Kong and Economy’ etc. As indicated in the later part of the study, the government’s reports on the economic changes and population changes have been given here and the results can be used to show the trends and the analysis can be done quantitatively and qualitatively to show the changes in population in terms of age, gender and wages or social status. In fact wage structure shows changes in economic conditions of the major part of population and results could be drawn to show how economy and wages would be related in turn to gender and age and the overall impact this has on the Hong Kong’s population structure could be drawn in the analysis and interpretation section of the results. The different possible methodological frameworks would be the qualitative methodology and the quantitative methodology. Qualitative methodology is about understanding the more qualitative or subjective aspects of the population and delineating the attributes or the characteristics of job changes, economic structure and population structure in Hong Kong. Quantitative methodology is about showing statistical tables and values and suggests the population and economic structural changes in terms of values or numbers as given in statistical tables. The impact of old age or ageing population on the economy as discussed qualitatively by researchers would form part of the study using journal articles and descriptions of the situation as given by researchers in articles and published papers as would be the quantitative aspects that are given in published reports and statistical tables giving values or numbers that define the changes in Hong Kong’s social, demographic and economic structure quantitatively in terms of values, statistics and numbers. A snapshot of the qualitative and quantitative primary data as would be used in the research study is given below and from some of the research papers as used in the literature review and the reports published by the Hong Kong government, the primary data in terms of tables or published research reports will be chosen and analyzed for the purposes of this study. The published articles or papers in journals as selected from ingenta, sciencedirect, JSTOR or other such databases thus provide the basis for qualitative primary data and the published research reports as available from Hong Kong government sites showing statistical analysis of population and economic structure form the more quantiatve aspects of this study and a balance of quantitative and qualitative methods will be considered for analysis of this research study. Social science research is largely based on ontological and epistemological propositions that help to understand consumer behavior and in this case population structure and government approach to population and how it affects Hong Kong economy in general. From the ontological point of view any phenomena could be analyzed objectively using economic data and in this case the economic structure of Hong Kong could be comparatively objectively analyzed considering other developed or developing economies and the effects of population on economy. The epistemological approach to methodology emphasizes on people’s perspectives and the subjective or qualitative aspects of research as already indicated. Positivistic and Interpretive theories in social science research focus on scientific data (as in positivism) in which experimental findings are of prime importance and interpretive analysis in which drawing out qualitative aspects and viewpoints of the researcher would be more important. The epistemological, interpretive positions are closer to qualitative methodology and the positivistic, ontological philosophies are akin to quantitative methodology as used in any research project. The Table below provides the population structure of Hong Kong by age and sex and as seen from the initial study of 2007 population growth and structure, 3. 9% of the population is above 60 years of age, 3. 4% of the population is above 65 or 70 years of age, 2. 7% of the population reaches above 75 year limit and 1. 7% of the population crosses the 80 year old mark. 1. 4% of the population is above 85 years. This suggests that a significant portion of the population is an aged population in Hong Kong and this is a change from 2006 in which the 60 year old population was at 3. 7% and above 75 year olds was at 2. 6% and above 85 year olds was at 1. 3%. The charts show that thee has been a slight yet significant increase in aging population of Hong Kong and considerable decrease in the young population as seen from the population data of 2006-2007. If data is attained over a period of last 10 years this aging population trend will however become more prominent and this will be elaborated in the methodology and data collection section of the research. This research table thus forms part of the resources that we use as data for our study on the effects of population on economic structure.

The History And Downfalls Of Nigeria Essay - 1499 Words

Upsets and Downfalls Nigeria has been a democracy since 1999 when the military handed over government power to elected officials. Since then, the countries electoral system has experienced many upsets and downfalls. This transition has been anything but smooth with large amounts of corruption within the country s political and socio-economic system. Due to the ineffectiveness of governance, it has been extremely difficult for Nigeria to effectively democratize. In order to improve Nigeria’s corrupt electoral system, the Nigerian government has established many agencies to enact numerous reforms, including: Establishing an agency to oversee political elections, combat election rigging, and encourage voter participation, as well as constructing an organization that oversees government spending and cracks down on money laundering. These reforms had only mild success before 2012. The reasons for gradual improvement after 2012 had to do with, although not limited to, leadership. Th ese changes were the result of different political and economic events the country experienced. Free, fair, and safe elections have empirically proven to be an essential step towards ensuring a country’s democratic success. Unfortunately, corruption has become the norm in Nigerian politics. Nigeria’s major political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), were able to maintain political power within the country using prebendalism tactics, ballot rigging, and intimidation until the 2015Show MoreRelatedChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1164 Words   |  5 PagesII Nicole Watkins 11/26/2014 Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe is a story which follows the life and foreshadowed downfall of Okonkwo, a respected warrior in his Umuofia clan in Nigeria. Disgusted by his late father, Unoka, and the reputation of incompetence and laziness he left behind, Okonkwo was determined to not let history repeat itself. He worked diligently and became a wealthy patriarch for his family. The beginning of Okonkwo’s demise occurs when he is given responsibilityRead MoreOil And Gas Industry Analysis1342 Words   |  6 Pagesin the oil and gas sector in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria, mainly within the International Oil Companies (IOC†s), but has also affected non-related oil and gas sectors such as the contractors and vendors to the Oil and Gas sector; this has triggered several thoughts outside the box to welcome an industry diversification. The Nigerian Government, which solely depends on the oil and gas exports has also been majorly affected by the downfall in oi l prices, which has kept other government sectorsRead MoreEssay On Cameroon And The U. S Decision : The Anglophones Needs The U. N To Save Lives1161 Words   |  5 PagesCameroon and the U.Ns Decision – The Anglophones Needs the U.N to Save Lives Cameroon as it stands in 2017 is a country in Central West Africa the size of Texas, U.S.A. It is claiming to be a bilingual country that speaks French and English, but current history has proven that the English Cameroonians feel marginalized by the over populated French Cameroonians. English Cameroonians belief they should be called Southern Cameroon (Ambazonias) and should be given a separate country from the French CamerooniansRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1388 Words   |  6 PagesChinua Achebe demonstrated that the economy of Nigeria was extremely dependent but self-sufficient on agriculture. The Igbo people would harvest many crops but would mainly grow yams crops because it portrayed the men’s wealth and manliness. That narrowed down their ability to sell and buy products, they could only perform it between the people within the village and between the different communities in Ufuomia. When the European settlers came to Nigeria, they introduced free trade , new kinds of marketsRead MoreAnjalique Raghunauth. Mr. Maclachlan. Eng3Uo. January 20Th,1433 Words   |  6 PagesJanuary 20th, 2017 Written Report Exposition The story opens with the main character, Okonkwo, a wealthy farmer, who is known for being a brave and honourable man. As well as one of the best and greatest wrestlers, that lives in Umuofia Village, Nigeria, around 1890. Growing up Okonkwo hated his father’s laziness and used it as his motivation to push through and become one of the greatest wrestlers. Using his motivations, he approached Nwakibie (a rich villager), to borrow yam seeds and startRead MoreSoccer Influence1686 Words   |  7 Pagesmajor influence of soccer. This widespread sport has its roots in England. In 1863, association football, soccer’s original name, branched off from rugby football. Although England was the birthplace of the game known today, many other countries in history have played games shaping the ideas of soccer. For example, in the Han Dynasty in second and third century BC China, a game called Tsu’ Chu was played. The objective of the game was to kick a leather ball filled with feathers through an opening roughlyRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Olandah Equiano1716 Words   |  7 Pagesslave of African descent born in the British colonies. Olandah Equiano’s narrative reveals more about the African Diaspora than it does African history itself, particularly with his birthplace called into question. If he was born in Africa as he claims, Equiano’s narrative provides a primary source for the history of the slave trade in Africa and Nigerian history. If he was born in South Carolina, his narrative provides a secondary source for these areas. In either case, Equiano’s narrative accuratelyRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1265 Words   |  6 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is markedly relevant to our current course of studies in World History, as it tells a story based on European Imperialism in Africa. Coming off the heels of our Imperialism unit, this post-colonial novel provides very helpful context on different civilizations’ perspectives throughout the Age of Imperialism; aside from analyzing death tolls, descriptions of conflicts, and names of countries, it was previously hard to envision what life was actually like during thatRead MoreWhy We Need New Alternative For Oil While Considering The Expansion Of Human Population1486 Words   |  6 Pagespeople’s actions remain the decisive moment of growth or collapse. For example, â€Å"Nigeria exports two million barrels of oil every day†¦ but due to corruption, poor we alth distribution, and lack of infrastructure, the nation’s people suffer from staggering rates of poverty† (Nigeria: Oil, Poverty, and an ‘Ungodly Mess’). Without wisely determining what yields the best solution for their citizens, it may lead to the downfall of their civilization by decreasing the amount of jobs or not allowing growthRead MoreInternational Humanitarian Intervention : The United Nations1287 Words   |  6 PagesInternational Humanitarian Intervention The history overview of International Humanitarian Intervention it was founded in 1945, but the United Nations strives â€Å"to provide peace, security, and justice.9† The belief was to achieve this is through humanitarian intervention the use of force if the international law can t reconcile it. Three principles make up humanitarian intervention: 1. uses military force 2. interferes in the target state’s internal affairs 3.responds to crises where states’

Youth Fitness And Growth - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 575 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Sports Essay Level High school Topics: Fitness Essay Did you like this example? What can youth gain by developing metabolic fitness at a young age? Metabolic fitness is defined as the ability to provide enough energy to the muscles in a specific type of exercise. A young person stands to gain a lot by developing metabolic fitness early. First, developing metabolic fitness at an early stage will give the child a chance to enjoy the process of training by developing self-discipline. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Youth Fitness And Growth" essay for you Create order Children who attain higher levels of performance tend to develop this attitude at a younger age. Secondly, training at an early age will hinder the formation of fat cells, which can lead to obesity. Physically active children often demonstrate lower rates of obesity than sedentary children do. Thirdly, in children, metabolic energy fuels growth and tissue development. Therefore, active children tend to mature faster than those who do not participate in physical activity. Active children will often grow into strong adults prepared for life. Another advantage of metabolic fitness is that it regulates body water balance, transmits nerve signals, and fuels though processes. Physical activity goes hand in hand with brain development. While brains can continuously grow, this relationship is quite critical at an early stage. Greater rates of physical activity in children have been associated with higher grades in reading and math. Adequate brain development allows children to try new types of activity that can enable them to discover their talent. Finally, active children are more likely to become active adults. Research shows that obese adults must have been overweight children. Since the young body is still growing, being active will set a stage for a healthy lifestyle in adulthood. What physical changes occur during puberty and adolescence? How do these changes affect physical performance in boys? How do these changes affect physical performance in girls? Adolescence is a critical stage in the development of human beings. Several physical changes occur in both girls and boys to transition them into adulthood. Females always attain puberty earlier than their male counterparts do. The growth spurt depends on the childs maturation level. For instance, boys will experience a growth spurt whereby they grow taller and the chest and shoulders will get broader. Their weight will also go up as they develop more muscle mass due to the production of testosterone. However, other parts might grow faster than the limbs and torso and this might leave them looking. On the other hand, girls will get taller with small limbs and torso, which leaves them unbalanced for a while. Breasts will grow and the body shape will change e.g. the widening of the hips. The menstruation cycle will begin and this might cause some side effects on the girls mood. The physical changes do affect physical performance in both boys and girls either positively or negatively. First, both genders struggle with body balance due to the slow growth of the limbs and torso. As for boys, adolescence allows them to make large improvements in all areas of physical performance. The presence of more muscles and more rapid skeletal development increases their endurance during exercise. As for girls, early maturation can give them an advantage earlier in adolescence to outperform the boys. However, adolescence tends to make girls level off in most areas. In addition, the physical changes in girls such as menarche can affect their self-image making them withdraw from athletic performance. The lower rate of muscle growth in girls makes it hard for them to endure strenuous exercises.

The Soviet Union Of The Cold War - 1745 Words

During the era of the Cold War, starting in 1947 and definitively ending in 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union faced off in conflicts with each other through smaller states. The United States and Soviet Union faced off to see who could spread their ideology the most in Europe. The Soviet Union used force and supported coups to spread communism while the United States installed democratic governments as a way to counter communism in Eastern Europe. These small conflicts that the two superpowers engaged in caused high tension between the two. During World War 2, the U.S developed the world s first nuclear weapon, the atomic bomb which was a destructive explosive capable of wiping cities. The destruction can be seen from the result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki leaving over hundreds of thousands dead. It wasn’t until years later that the Soviet Union would start developing nuclear warheads as well. Engaging in small proxy wars was a better alternative to direct combat between the Soviet Union and United States because it prevented the risk of a nuclear war between the United States and Russia as well as preventing World War 3 from happenin g because of the treaties made by the two countries. An example of destruction caused by nuclear weapons was in 1945 during World War 2, when the United States used two atomic bombs on Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the results of the bombing was destructive, as can be seen in the document given by the EnvironmentalShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War And The Soviet Union973 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cold War was a state of economic, diplomatic, and ideological discord among nations without armed conflict. The Cold War was between the United States and the USSR because these were the two major powers after WWII. Basically, the Cold War was a series of proxy wars that had taken place back in time involving surrounding countries. One of the main causes for Cold War was that the Soviet Union was spreading communism and the United States didn’t like that so they were trying to contain communismRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1233 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cold War is unique among war’s to be not a war between states, bu t a war between ideologies. The United States and other allies defend social democracy capitalism, as the pinnacle of freedom and equality; and the Soviet Union though communism was the pinnacle of equality. These ideologies manifested themselves through the superpowers, which caused the conflict between them. Both the United States, and the Soviet Union are to blame for the outbreak of the Cold War. The United State’s missionRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1697 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cold War, in fact didn’t take place in the winter season, but was just as dangerously cold and unwelcoming, as it focused on two contrasting powers: the U.S. and the Soviet Union. After World War 2, the Cold War influenced capitalist U.S. and communist Soviet Union to engage in disagreements causing many disputes having to use military, economic and humanitarian aid. With different goals, the contrasting powers prove through the Marshall Plan, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and S ALT that communismRead MoreThe Cold War And Soviet Union840 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many theories and opinions of how the cold war started. Some believe that the cold war was the result of the belligerence of Joseph Stalin and the insecurity it caused in the United States and the West. Others believe the primary responsibility for the cold war derives from the hardline policies of the United States. (Viewpoints Article: the Soviet Union Start the Cold War) I believe The Cold War was triggered by the theory of two superpower countries in a race for dominance in the worldRead MoreCold War And The Soviet Union859 Words   |  4 PagesAMS2270 Cold War This essay will discuss about cold war, including the background, beginning, progress and ending. As we know, cold war is a struggle between U.S. with NATO and Soviet Union with WTO from 1947 to 1991. It is a significant event in history, and it influence the almost all of world, it directly lead to the radical change of eastern Europe and the breakup of the USSR. In 1946 February, George.F.Kennan wrote a â€Å"Long Telegram†, it clearly said the strategy of containing Soviets and itRead MoreThe Cold War On The Soviet Union1230 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cold War’s effect on the Soviet Union Shortly after the World War 2 ended, the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies entered the cold war with the Soviet Union. Germany was divided in half and later, the Berlin Wall was constructed as a physical boundary between the Soviet controlled East Germany and NATO controlled West Germany. This standoff continued until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. The cold war had a huge influence on the world stage, but also had a majorRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1391 Words   |  6 Pageswake of World War II as the decades-long force of Germany’s reign came to its conclusion, an extensive repositioning of authority among the world’s top powers began. The war wielded devastating consequences for most countries involved and effectively diminished the dominance Britain and France once employed across the globe. Out of this devastation rose the two new dominating forces of the world who were triumphant in the aftermath of the war: the U nited States and the Soviet Union. The United StatesRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union Essay965 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cold War was a period in world history marked with increased tensions primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries desired to expand their ideologies across the globe, the U.S. urging capitalism and democratic elections and the Soviets promoting communism. After the allies had obtained victory in World War II, the Yalta Conference was held. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, wanted to expand his sphere of influence into Eastern Europe and demanded thatRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1343 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract: As one of the most important events in 20th century, the Cold War had a very deep influence for the human-being civilization and it changed the world structure . The United States and the Soviet Union ,the two poles, became enemies from friends after the World War II. They adopt hostile attitude towards each other and criticized the the opponents’ social systems. To find out who provoked the Cold War, the US, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdoms ,Roosevelt, Truman ,Stalin, and ChurchillRead MoreThe Soviet Union And The Cold War1038 Words   |  5 PagesAfter a series of events during the time of World War II, tensions between the United States and the Communists such as the Soviet Union and China, developed into a military and political conflict such as the Cold War. During the Cold War, which went on for 50 years, the Soviet Union and the United States competed to expand their economical and political influence. Although, the United States military has increased in size and it’s strategy. The United States power today is highly supreme when it

Oedipus the King A Theme Analysis Free Essays

string(59) " to despise prophecy and feel almost superior to the gods\." Oedipus the King is one of the group of three plays by Sophocles known as the Theban plays since they all relate to the destinies of the Theban family of the Oedipus and his children.   The other two plays of this group are Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus. Oedipus the King relates the story of Oedipus who reached Thebes, having killed on the way an old man with whom he picked a quarrel. We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus the King: A Theme Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now The city of Thebes was then suffering terribly because of the monster, the Sphinx. He solved her riddle and citizens of Thebes offered him the kingdom as city is afflicted with the loss of their king, who had been murdered while on a pilgrimage. So he assumed the power and married the widowed queen. Here the tragedy of Oedipus takes its final course. As city was afflicted with famine, so Delphic oracles were consulted who disclosed that troubles of the city arose from the fact that it is harboring an unclean person, the murderer of late king Laius. Oedipus resolved to get to the bottom of this mystery and punish the wrongdoer. However, he ultimately discovered that the culprit he was seeking was none other than he himself. He blinded himself and went on exile. There are various standpoints for looking at the theme of the play. It may be considered as a play enacting the theme of insecurity and illusoriness of human happiness. Or the theme may be that of the inadequacy of human intelligence in resolving the riddles of destiny. The identification of themes in Oedipus differs from reader to reader and from critic to critic. I think that Sophocles wanted to convey that a man is plunged from prosperity and power to ruin ands ignominy due to his own human failings.   It was something[1] in his character that brought his tragedy. Anything foreign to his own character only augmented the tragic proceedings but it was only his own disposition that made him a prey to disgrace. Dodds is of the view, â€Å"If Oedipus is the innocent victim of a doom which he cannot avoid, does this not reduce him to a mere flaw puppet?† Whereas Knox (1984) is of the view that Oedipus’ tragedy takes place due to tragic flaw[s] and fate as no part to play in Oedious Rex. Distinguished Professor Butcher has identified four possible ranges of human failings in Oedipus. The foremost of these connotations is an error due to unavoidable ignorance of circumstances whereas an error caused by unawareness of conditions that might have been identified and for that reason to some extent morally blameworthy The third range is â€Å"A fault or error where the act is conscious and intentional, but not deliberate. Such acts are committed in anger or passion.† (313) Where as fourth one is â€Å"A fault of character distinct, on the one hand, from an isolated error, and, on the other, from the vice which has its seat in the depraved will†¦a flaw of character that is not tainted with a vicious purpose.† (315) The crucial point is that whether Sophocles wants us to think that Oedipus has basically unsound character. One way of deciding this question is to examine what other characters in the play say about Oedipus. The only result that we can arrive at in this way is that Sophocles intends us to consider Oedipus an essentially noble person. In the opening scene of the play, the priest of Zeus refers to him as the greatest and noblest of men and the divinely inspired savior who saved Thebes from being destroyed by the Sphinx. The Chorus also considers him to be noble and virtuous. They refuse to believe in Tireseas accusations of him. When catastrophe befalls Oedipus, not a single character in the play justifies it as a doom which has deservedly overtaken Oedipus. (Dodds, p.39) So there were certain other tragic flaws that were acting behind the curtain to bring about Oedipus tragedy. Let us examine those. Oedipus seems to be obsessed with his own intelligence and this leads him to very unfortunate and uncomfortable situations. This human weakness[2] of Oedipus laps over with his pride as he is extremely proud of the fact that he was able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx which had proved too much for any other person. He thinks that Gods has capacitated him with intelligence and wisdom to solve riddle that the Thebes is afflicted with. Oedipus even taunts Tireseas on his inability in solving the Sphinx’s riddle. He says; And where were you, when the Dog-faced Witch was here? Have you any word of deliverance then for our people? There was a riddle too deep for common wits; A seer should have answered it, but answer there came none From you†¦..  Ã‚   (12-16) After calling the soothsayer false prophet, Oedipus boasts of his own skill in having solved the puzzled which proved too much for the blind seer; Until I came—I, ignorant Oedipus, came— And stopped the riddler’s mouth, guessing he truth By mother-wit, not bird-lore.  Ã‚   (17-19) So he describes Tireseas predictive cautions as the whims of a fanatic and opposes the seer’s prophecy with arguments of his own. Self-confidence and pride in his own wisdom is an outstanding feature of his character that also brings his tragedy. Here Oedipus also fulfills the traits of Aristotelian tragic hero as he possesses a noble tragic flaw. The man who sets out on his new task by sending first for the venerable seer is not lacking in pious reverence; but we also observe that Oedipus manifests unrestrained arrogance in his own intellectual achievement. No seer found the solution, this is Oedipus boast; no bird, no god revealed it to him, he â€Å"the utterly ignorant† had to come on his own and hit the mark by his own wit. This is a justified pride but it amounts too much. This pride and self-confidence induce Oedipus to despise prophecy and feel almost superior to the gods. You read "Oedipus the King: A Theme Analysis" in category "Essay examples" He tell the peo ple who pray for deliverance from pathos and miseries they are afflicted with if they listen to and follow his advice in order to get a remedy. Lastly his unrelenting pursuit of the truth is demonstrated when he believes he is the murderer and that Polybus was not his father, yet he continues with his search with the statement, â€Å"I must pursue this trail to the end,†(p.55).   These characteristics were only fuel to the fire and added to the pride created a blaze that consumed him. Bernard Knox eulogizes Oedipus’ â€Å"dedication to truth, whatever the cost† (p.117) Another characteristics of his character that contributes toward his tragedy is Oedipus’ longing for thoroughness. His inquisitive nature is not content with anything which is either half-hearted or incomplete. Nor can he brook any delay. He damns that the direction of the oracle should be given effect at once. As before, Oedipus speaks on the basis of the workings of his own mental faculties that has been tested time and again and have proved their intelligence. It can be said that the tragedy of Oedipus is the result more of his good qualities than his bad ones. It is his love for Thebes which makes him send Creon to Delphi to consult the Oracles. It is the same care for his subjects who make him proclaim a ban and a curse on the murderer of Laius. It is his absolute honesty which makes him include even himself within the curse and the punishment. He replies by saying â€Å"Sick as you are, not one is sick as I, each of you suffers in himself†¦but my spirit Groans for the city, for myself, for you†.  (62-62) He is angry with Tireseas because he is unable to tolerate the fact that   although the prophet says that he know who the murderer of Laius is , he refuses top give the information to the king. His rage and rashness is due to the fact that the masses are suffering and Tireseas does not provide the murderer’s name. Oedipus cannot but regard this as a clear manifestation of the seer’s disloyalty to his city. To Oedipus the discovery of truth is more important than his own good and safety. Even when it seems that the investigation that he is carrying on will not produce any result which will be him, he decides to carry on with it. He is so honest with himself that he inflicts the punishment of self-blinding and banishment from the city of Thebes. So his moral goodness also seems as a human failing that brings his ruin. There is another important human failing that contribute toward his tragedy i.e. his intellectual myopia. He has a limited vision and is unable to assess the situations in a right perspective. Robert L. Kane (1975) puts this preposition in this way; â€Å"He[Oedipus] was the victim of an optical illusion†. (p. 196) The juxtaposition between â€Å"outward magnificence and inward blindness of Oedipus and the outward blindness and inward sight of the prophet† (Kirkwood, p. 130) depicts two types of blindness i.e. physical and intellectual. One is related to physical sight whereas the other, the most pernicious type of blindness, pertains to insight. Tiresias is physically blind but whereas Oedipus is blind intellectually. This intellectual blindness of Oedipus also contributes greatly to lead him to his tragic destination. Oedipus possesses faultless physical vision throughout play except in the end but he remains blind to the reality regarding himself. At one point in the play, he has the ability to see but he is not willing to do so. He intellectual vision comes with his physical loss of sight but he is unable to cast away the psychological â€Å"slings and arrows† and mental sufferings that intellectual blindness has afflicted on him. So his blindness, both intellectual at the start of the play and physical at the end of the day, is the worst. Blindness interweaves with the main plot from the very start of the play when Oedipus says, â€Å"I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet. (14)† It manifest that he refers to blindness that if h will not recognize the distress of his people. This shows his physical sight but intellectual blindness as he himself was the cause of those afflictions.   Later he acknowledges that although Tiresias is physically blind but has prophetic power when he says, â€Å"Blind as you are, you can feel all the more what sickness haunts our city. (344)†. Tiresias response refers to the gravity of Oedipus’ inability to see his future. He says, â€Å"How terrible – to see the truth when the truth is only pain to him who sees! (359)† Later on Oedipus denounces his own acknowledgement of Tiresias as a seer and abuses him by saying, â€Å"You’ve lost your power, stone-blind, stone-deaf – senses, eyes blind as stone!(423)† and â€Å"Blind, lost in the night, endless night that nursed you! You can’t hurt me or anyone else who sees the light – you can never touch me. (425)†. It is illustrated that it is Oedipus who is blind intellectually as he is not willing to comprehend the situation and to understand the truth. In retort to his slur, Tiresias refers to worst form of blindness that Oedipus is suffering. He says, â€Å"You with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those who live with – who are your parents? (470)† and foretell, â€Å"Blind who now has eyes, beggar who now is rich, he will grope his way toward a foreign soil, a stick tapping before him step by step. (517)†. These supportive texts clearly manifest that Oedipus was afflicted with severe intellectual myopia as he was unable t see the truth that was pervasive all around him. Actually he was unwilling to see truth around him, prior to his physical blindness and afterwards as he blinds himself not to observe the things around him. His is the most insidious form of blindness. Oedipus can be held guilty due to another human flaw—his inability to take appropriate preventive measures. It is said that he fails to take logical steps and precaution s which would have saved him from committing the crimes.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Could not Oedipus†¦have escaped his doom if he had been more careful? Knowing that he was in danger of committing parricide and incest, would not really a prudent man have avoided quarrelling, even in self-defense and also love-relations with women older than himself?†¦ real life I suppose he might. But we not entitled to blame Oedipus either for carelessness failing to compile a hand list or lack of self-control in failing to obey its injunctions.†Ã‚  Ã‚   (Dodds, p.40) Oedipus has necessary human failings of anger and rashness. He rashly jumps into conclusions. Choragos points this out in scene II after a long speech by Creon who tries o remove the ill-fed and hastily formed suspicions of Oedipus about Creon. They say, â€Å"Judgments too quickly formed are dangerous† (II, 101) But Oedipus justifies this, arguing that ruler have to take quick decision. He says later on, â€Å"But is he not quick in his duplicity? / And shall I not be quick to parry him?† (II, 102-103) Later at the conclusion of scene II, Creon indicates the same fault in his character by saying, â€Å"Ugly in yielding, as you were ugly in rage! / Nature like yours chiefly torments themselves.† (II, 151-152) It is this rashness that makes to not merely suspect Creon but accuse him and even declares that he deserves the sentence of death. The rashness can be observed in his treatment of Tireseas. Oedipus does not lack analytical thinking but his rashness does permit him to weigh up the situation rightly and he makes hasty decision. In retrospect we see that rashness of Oedipus has something to do with the murder Laius at the hands of Oedipus. The self-blinding also is an act of rashness although Oedipus tries to give several arguments in favor of it. His bad temperament is demonstrated in the squabble between Teiresias and himself, where Teiresias utter the prophetic truth and Oedipus retorts, â€Å"Do you think you can say such things with impunity?† and afterward attributes him as a â€Å"Shameless and brainless, sightless, senseless sot!†(p.36). His character is further marked with suspicion about Creon to whom he considers as a conspirator. Kirkwood is of the view that â€Å"The Creon he [Oedipus] is battling is a figment of his imagination† (Kirkwood, 1958. p. 132) and nothing else. He says with reference his tà ªte-à  -tà ªte with Tiresaeas, â€Å"Creon! Was this trick his, then, if not yours?† So here his imagination works together with anger and rashness. All the above-mentioned manifestations of tragic flaw, their supported arguments and views of the critics clearly proves the thesis that Oedipus unavoidable ignorance was the major factor of his tragedy because he was unable to locate that the man whom he assaulted on the crossroads to Thebes was his father. Secondly, if he would not have been occupied by his aspirations, he would have possibly explored the horror of his deed and could have avoided the additional tricky situations by not marrying his mother. Thirdly, his â€Å"conscious and intentional† act includes his decision to â€Å"bring what is dark to light† (133). Furthermore, as result to revelation of Tireseas, he charges Creon with conspiracy and murder and denounces Tireases as an accessory. Although these actions were intentional and bring Oedipus to tragic end but have a clear background that illustrate that these actions were not â€Å"deliberate†. Fourthly, all these errors originate from a hasty and obstinate temperament, unjustified anger and excessive pride that compel him to an energized inquisitiveness. With the development of the plot, all these ascriptions of his character jumps back with amplified force on his head that finally culminates at his tragedy. Knox (1957) sums up in this way; â€Å"the actions of Oedipus that produce the catastrophe stem from all sides of his character; no one particular action is more essential than any other; they are all essential and they involve not any one trait of character which might be designated a hamartia but the character of Oedipus as a whole† (31). Here I want to point out that all these human failings were not innate or inborn but he developed these as his habitual formations. It was inculcated in his spirit so that it became a part of his natural disposition. If it were innate then he could not be blamed for his downfall. It was human failings rather than the destiny that brought his tragedy. So Sophocles has successfully put across that a man is plunged from prosperity and power to ruin ands ignominy due to his own human failings. References Bloom, Harold. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. : New York : Chelsea House Publishers. 1988. Butcher, S.H. Aritotle’s theory of Poetry and Fine Arts. Hell and Wang: New York. 1961. Dodds, E. R. On Misunderstanding the Oedipus. Greece Rome. Vo. 13. No. 1. (Apr. 1966). Pp. 37-49. Cook, Albert Spaulding. Oedipus Rex, a mirror for Greek drama. Prospect Heights, Ill. : Waveland Press.1982. Gould, Thomas. Greek tragedy. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press. 1977. Gould, Thomas. Oedipus the King: A Translation with Commentary. Englewood Cliffs. 1970. Kane, Robert L. Prophecy and Perception in the Oedipus Rex. Transaction of the American Philological Association. Vol. 105 (1975). pp. 189-208. Kirkwood, G.M. A study of Sophoclean drama. Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell University Press. 1958. Knox, Bernard. Oedipus at Thebes. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957. Knox, Bernard. Introduction to The Three Theban Plays. New York London: Penguin Books,1984. O’ Brien, John M. Twentieth century interpretations of Oedipus Rex; a collection of critical essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall. 1968 [1] Moral flaw, habitual formations, behavioral defect etc. [2] in any other context, pride in one’s intelligence cannot not a human weakness but course of the play depicts clearly that in Oedipus the King it was a human weakness. How to cite Oedipus the King: A Theme Analysis, Essay examples

Changes In Pop Art Essay Example For Students

Changes In Pop Art Essay Pop art was a 20th century art movement that utilized consumerism and popular culture. Andy Warhol, for example, changed the imagery of everyday objects, as well as entertainment figures, through distorted shapes, sizes, and bold colors. As the decades passed, the style of pop art slightly changed as well. Later artists, such as Tom Wesselmann and Allen Jones presented their subject matter in a more shocking perspective. Women, and more specifically their bodies, were often the target of graphic manipulation. This sexual presentation was seen as pleasurable entertainment for male viewers, as much past artworks often did. This paper will attempt to explain the changes made during the pop art movement, in addition to the specific roles women played in pop art. First, we must discuss what is pop art? Pop art, as defined by the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, is a movement that emerged at the end of the 1950s as a reaction against the seriousness of abstract expressionism. Encyclopedia. com The term Pop stands for popular art or even for pop bottle art, depending on the frequency with which such everyday objects appeared. The movement as a whole originated in England in the fifties and then naturally spread to the United States. This movement resulted as images were made popular through mass-media advertising and comic strips, and other everyday objects, such as pop bottles, beer cans, and other supermarket products. The images were then presented in bizarre combinations, distortions, or exaggerations in size. The original human-made object is always kept in its true form in some way. Art Fundamentals, 305 The introduction of American Pop art resulted in a major reaction against abstract expressionism, which had dominated painting in the United States during the later 1940s and 1950s. During the later 1950s, there were many indications that American painting would return to a new kind of figuration. Pop art brought art back to the material realization of everyday life, to popular culture in which ordinary people derived most of their visual language in what perceived to be the real world of shopping, movie stars, and car advertisements. The term pop art was first used by Lawrence Alloway, a well-known critic of the art period. He used the term to describe those paintings that celebrated post-war consumerism and defied the psychology of Abstract Expressionism. This was thought of as an art that gave off a natural appeal to American artists, living in the midst of an industrial and commercial environment. Thus, the result was a more bold and aggressive display of art and advertising. While many artists duplicated beer bottles, soup cans, and comic strips in their artworks, other artists incorporated these objects in their actual artworks. In both cases of artworks, however, pop artists stressed new and store-bought in a shocking light, symbolizing their interpretations of the changes that took place in America during that time. Their vulger interpretations, which appeared in advertising, supermarkets, and television, explains why the pop art movement had such a large impact on commercial, graphic, and fashion design. Russell, 54 The myths of everyday life which has surfaced in consumer culture, especially in mass media, express the belief in progress, but also a fear of disaster. During the peak of pop art, there were a series of crucial events that took place. For example, the Vietnam War, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, racial riots breaking out in cities everywhere, and addictions to sex, drugs, and rock n roll, are just a few major events that were occurring during this same time period. Osterwold, 11 Thus it is not surprising that the world of pop art emerged. Pop art was seen as a way to stand for the dreams, traumas, luxury, and poverty of the times. Pop art was just one way for people to recognize the good of the nation, and the need to support the consumer world. Art Of Theatre EssayOne particular pop artist, Andy Warhol, was often recognized as the father of pop art. Warhol first introduced his own illusionary world of pop art to the public with his interpretation of the Campbells soup can. Never before has such an everyday object like a soup can been viewed as a work of art. This was a perfect example of how advertisements were not only seen as pleasing to the eye, but also played a large role in the advertising world. Warhols 100 Cans beats a repetitive visual tattoo whose power derives from the insistence of similar commercial imagery in the daily lives of the public. Ocvirk, 305 Like most things often do change, pop art also began to change, taking on a whole new creative perspective. Images of women began appearing more frequently in pop art. These new images portrayed women in a sexual manner the way that past societies have often depicted women, or the way they envisioned their women to look and behave. This new imagery of women was again displayed through Warhols artwork. His series of Marilyns became not surprisingly popular after her death in 1962. The Twenty-Five Marilyns is a perfect representation of this new representational style of women. As pop art developed more, so did the types of subject matter that became associated with pop art. The mid-1960s introduced artists such as Allen Jones who steered away from everyday objects as his focus of subject matter. He was notorious for outraging feminists, as his subject matter depicted women in scenes of bondage and subjugation. Packer This new representation of women in pop art was shocking to the public eye. In past art styles, womens bodies were often positioned in a way that was pleasing to the male viewer.