Recurrence and Resolution in Preston Sturges Film The Lady Eve :: essays papers

Recurrence and Resolution in Preston Sturges Film The Lady Eve The first scene begins with a medium shot of the lover’s usual meeting place on deck, where a cheerful and whistling Charles (Hopsie) paces up and down waiting for Jean to appear. The camera focuses on Charles pacing and whistling while diagetic sound is heard from kids playing on the deck and a bell ringing in the background. There is a change of focus when two men walk right in front of Charles while he is pacing back and forth. Muggsy has finally obtained proof that the Harringtons are card sharks and while the camera still focusing in on Charles, he approaches with the purser, who carries an 8 x 10 envelope in his hand. As the purser decisively tells Charles to look at the contents, there is a medium close-up of Charles and the purser. The camera zooms in, there is ominous music playing in the background and then a close-up of a candid photograph showing Jean, her father, and Gerald descending a boat's gangplank - it identifies the Harringtons as crooks with multiple aliases: "'Handsome Harry' Harrington, his daughter Jean and third character known as Gerald. Professional card sharks; also bunko, oil wells, gold mines, and occasionally green goods.† The scene fades into Charles’ concerned face with diagetic sound in the background. The cheerless music gets louder and louder as a medium close-up of Charles’ face ends with him looking at the picture one more time and feeling hurt, puts the picture inside the envelope. When Charles learns her true identity from his protective bodyguard, he reacts with miserable distress. The camera follows him as he strides stoically to the bar and orders a stiff drink in a general shot. The background music is now very ominous and slow. Jean arrives from the left of him in the ship's bar; the camera goes into a medium shot of Jean and Charles at the bar. She is wondering why he looks so worried and crestfallen, and guesses that it's because he is "falling in love with a girl in the middle of an ocean." Truthful for once in her life, she admits her authentic love for him and her mistakes and puts her left arm around his shoulders. Midstream, she realizes that he's found out about her. The scene of Charles rejecting Jean is shot with a medium shot of both of them at the bar.

Civil Disobedience : Bane of Boon to the Concept of Just Society? Essay

Even as the nations are engaged in tackling the menace of terrorism among its rank and file, the debate over what makes a ‘just society’ has renewed itself with fresh questions evolving out of it, especially from the perspective of civil disobedience, where issues on ethics, emotion, justification and morality are embedded in an inseparable way and therefore add complexities in the comprehension of just society. Thus this paper weighs some pertinent points involving the concept of just society from the perspective of civil disobedience before arriving at an inference on whether civil disobedience is a bane or a boon to the concept of just society. A Brief Definition of Just Society â€Å"Just Society† refers to a particular condition of a society, where its subjects enjoy some freedom beyond laws that are framed, provided that freedom should ideally be directed towards garnering collective benefits for the society. This facility of a citizen goes down under the head of â€Å"fair treatment† of the state to its subjects and is commonly known as social justice. With time, this freedom has become a medium of the thinkers and well wishers of the society to share and air their views to draw the attention of the government on several issues pertaining to the well-being of the concerned society. Different political ideas, ideologies or situations create different interpretations of a just society. As for example, the left-wing ideology could prescribe an extensive use of income redistribution after judging its present state as a deterrent to the just society, while a right-wing political party could stress on philanthropy, open market system or charity to attain social justice for the society. However, the broad base of just society is powered by the concepts like equality and human rights. A Brief Definition of Civil Disobedience The briefest definition of civil disobedience could be like â€Å"an act guided by conscience towards preventing or developing a condition in the society, which might overstep certain areas of written law, yet that overstepping is not intended to oppose the law†. Civil disobedience is supposed to be an outcome of a serious observation of any flaw or the scope of development in the society, totally backed up by moral and ethical values and totally devoted towards a positive change in the society. Here the gray area lies in the quality of such an observation and inference. For example, a group of thinker might observe that certain areas of taxes are burdening the citizens and thus be waived, while another group might observe a positive impact of taxes on the citizen. However, civil disobedience is supposed to act under the guideline of equality and human rights and it has to be morally justified. Understandably, these preconditions are liable to vary according the laws of various states. The Questions The preconditions of civil obedience raises certain questions like why a civil disobedience would be considered as anarchy, if it fails to remain within such preconditions like moral justification or total submission to the written law of the land. Reasonably, questions like that evolve out of human rights’ parameter or the natural human qualities like emotion – where driven by the cause, one might go overboard and breach the law to end up in the prison. There are questions too, about the applicable yardstick of identifying the nature of civil disobedience or distinguishing it from ordinary offences. Civil disobedience is generally not considered as a crime in a democratic society. Thus, if a civil disobedient is jailed or otherwise punished, it becomes a recognized offence, which, in other words, stands as a different interpretation of the person’s motive. Perhaps it is for this reason even the founder of the very coinage ‘civil disobedience’, Henry David Thoreau, once rued over the apathy of the society towards the plight of the intellectuals who raise voice for the society itself – after he was jailed for refusing to pay the state poll tax to American government as a protest against governmental plan to prosecute a war in Mexico. An agitated Thoreau wrote in his essay – â€Å"Only a very few people – heroes, martyrs, patriots, reformers in the best sense – serve their society with their consciences, and so necessarily resist society for the most part, and are commonly treated by it as enemies† (Thoreau, 1991). Towards Making a Just Society Thus questions like above validate another query like ‘what makes a just state’, and stress on garnering more flexibility through legal parameters instead of leaving the subject on the leniency of the government – like when, in spite of acting on moral drive, a civil disobedient stands at a crossroad where the state can either overlook his/her offence or jail him/her. In either of the action, the government stands to loose – if it overlooks the situation it might be blamed for not doing its duty, and if it imprisons the person, it might be condemned of violating human rights. This indicates that to create a just state, states have a role to formulate a convincing script of the division of justice like Compensatory (corrective) justice, Retributive justice or Distributive justice. The observation of Thoreau as mentioned earlier, also points towards another roadblock towards making a just society. Since the range of values like transparency, security, privacy, integrity and autonomy cannot be fully defined by the scripts of justice, the governmental interpretations of them can invoke mixed reaction among people – some might resort to civil disobedience, some might remain skeptic to the situation. Majority should be able to justify the situation and their best role in it, before pursuing a cause. Thus people should be equipped to meet the standards of civil disobedience or to reap any benefit out of it – â€Å"Justified civil disobedience†, says John Rawls, â€Å"can serve to inhibit departures from justice and to correct departures when they occur; thus it can act as a stabilising force in society† (Rawls, 1971). This situation speaks about the important role of the civil society too – that it is their duty to educate and inform the mass about the nature of civil disobedience (direct or indirect) and the possible consequences attached to them. Alongside it should be a joint effort by state and the civil society to spread awareness about how civil disobedience differs from legal protest, rule departures and conscientious objection – and more importantly how it has no relation with the breakaway groups like radical protesters and extremists. CONCLUSION There can be no doubt that civil disobedience keeps the society lively and interacting, besides being instrumental in guarding the common interest of people through the conscientious voice of the citizens. Without this vigilance, the concept of just society cannot be put into action. While the governmental interpretation of just society determines the scope and outcome of civil disobedience, the clarity of perception of the civil society about ‘just society’ keeps civil disobedience movement on its desired track. Thus, both state and the civil society have to share the task of disseminating appropriate education at the every corner of the society to invoke awareness on judiciary system and the scope of civil rights. This awareness would then automatically serve as a shield to the civilians and as an alert to the state. However, in the modern context of terrorism or increasing rate of violence, some might opine that civil disobedience has lost its sting – which is in fact, not true. Now the new world order evokes global citizens to resort to civil disobedience on global issues like terrorism or environment, which might have no bearing with the local state’s policy or its actions. This speaks about how the civil societies across the globe have adapted itself to the new avatar of civilization – they are now connected to one another for the sake of making a ‘just global society’ – all the while depending on a common tool like civil disobedience. Thus, in both of its new and old role, civil disobedience proves to be a boon to the concept of just society. Ends Works Cited Rawls, John (1971), A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Thoreau, Henry David (1991), ‘Civil Disobedience’ in Civil Disobedience in Focus. Hugo A. Bedau (ed. ), London: Routledge. Works Consulted Brownlee, K. (2007). Civil Disobedience. Web Article. Retrieved on Dec 1, 2007, from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/civil-disobedience/#FeaCivDis Civil Disobedience. Web Article. Retrieved on Dec 1, 2007, from http://www. answers. com/topic/civil-disobedience

Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman

In the stories â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and â€Å"A Doll’s House,† there are many similarities. I went on to pick one character from each story whom’s similarity interested me the most. The characters I picked were Willy Loman from â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and Torvald Helmer of â€Å"A Doll’s House.† I picked these characters because of their motivation to make it to become successful. Both stories are about a climb for success that leads to betrayal. The story â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† comes with the symbolic meaning of the death of an â€Å"American Dream,† or the ridding of illusion as it applies to the American Dream. The story â€Å"A Doll’s House† the title reflects the main character’s life and how she was treated like treasure such as a doll. Both Willy and Torvald lives are similar to the fact that they are both trying to provide for their families, but in the end they discover a great loss. Willy Loman a salesman and a firm believer in the â€Å"American Dream,† had the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. In Willy Loman motivation to become successful was he felt that he believes success comes from being well liked not worrying about qualifications and being popular you well always come out on top. Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality. Willy also starts to lie on the amount of sales that he is making whenever his wife asks him about his sales. Torvald Helmer is a Lawyer/Bank Manager who feels reputation plays a big part in his success to do well. Motivation was a key position in both Willy and Torvald lives to help them climb to become a success. In the story Torvald Helmer motivation was his appearance to be professional and personal and the knowing fact that his family will not want in the future. Torvald pushes his limits to get what he wants to become a succ... Free Essays on Death of a Salesman Free Essays on Death of a Salesman A Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Tragedy was a very controversial issue in literature until recent years. Recent figures in literature have set a clear definition for tragedy. Author Miller is one of these figures. Plays and novels have distinguished the definition of tragedy. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary tragedy is a serious piece of literature typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror. Miller’s explains that a tragic hero does not always have to be a monarch or a man of a higher status. A tragic hero can be a common person. A tragedy does not always have to end pessimistically; it could have an optimistic ending. The play Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, is a tragedy because its hero, Willy Loman, is a tragic figure that faces a superior source, being the American dream and the struggle for success. Loman also excites pity in the reader because of his defeat and his inability t o become a success or teach his children how to make their lives successful. Miller defines a flaw as â€Å"an inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what one conceives to be a challenge to one’s dignity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Penguin USA) Loman fulfills many of the requirements of being a tragic hero. Willy is not â€Å"flawless† in his actions, which by Miller’s standards make him a tragic hero. It is not wrong for Willy to have flaws and it does not make him a weaker man but a tragic figure. Miller designed the play so that Willy could be a tragic hero and for this he needs to have a flaw. Willy’s flaw is that he is unable to see things in a more realistic perspective. Charley says something in the play that sums up Willy’s whole life. He asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" Willy’s spends his entire life in an illusion. He sees himself as a great man that is popular and su... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman From the urgency and desperation of Willy’s situation, we are bound to see the play from the angle of looking into the working of his inner life. It was meant for the audience to look into this aspect as is obvious from the dream and memory sequences. We catch glimpses of Willy’s subconscious distraught with guilt, hope and regret. It is through these scenes that we see the internal turmoil of a mind that has not come out of adolescence and because of it, is unable to help his own sons to healthy maturity. His childishness is time and again released in his angry outbursts and his refusal to listen to anyone but himself. His impatience and stubborn nature is expressed in his denial of financial constraints to Charley, his devoted friend and neighbor. He falls into dreams and imaginings from his past that tell of his delusions of grandeur. Willy regards Ben as a symbol of the success that he so desperately craves for himself and his sons. As he progresses more and more towards personal disappointments-Biff’s failure in life, loss of his job, and the realization of a low self-worth-he moves successively further into his dream world succumbing to it in a complete break down, Regularly we see Willy ´s daydreams, within his mind. It is a very clear way to tell the audience, what happened in the past, and why things are how they are, now in the present day. We as an audience gain an insight into Willy’s most intimate thoughts. His thoughts are suicidal, exploitation (affair) and back stabbing. Audiences see themselves, their parents and their children in the play. It is what makes the play outstanding.... Free Essays on Death of a Salesman â€Å"Illusion vs. Reality† The theme of illusion versus reality is very prevalent throughout this play. The most indulgent of this lifestyle is the main character Willy Loman. His whole life is based on the illusion that he is successful because he is well-liked and good looking. He raises his two sons on this premise and feeds it to them day after day. Willy is a dreamer. Willy grades his life on the success he has as a salesman. He expects his sons to follow in his footsteps as well. Biff is his main concern. Willy looks at Biff to be the one who shines in the business world. â€Å"Be liked and you will never want†.(Bedford p.1836) Willy tells this to biff while they are talking about school. The reality is that Willy is not well-liked and not successful but he still tells himself every week that he’ll â€Å"knock ‘em dead next week†. Willy says, â€Å"I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England†. Willy is not as vital as he thinks. He says this to impress his boys. Willy’s dreams and illusions also get in the way of having a normal family. His illusion that Biff will become a great businessman interferes with the father son relationship. Biff believes that what his father tells him is true and later in life realizes that Willy has formed Biff’s values and they are not the values Biff believes in. Willy sees himself as one of the founding fathers of the company he works for and helped name the man who is now his boss. His boss sees his role differently and soon Willy is without a job and just can’t understand it. â€Å"When Willy sees how his illusion of being well-liked is not true, it kills him and ends his emotional life†.(Nadi) At the end of the play, Willy’s illusion that if he were to die and Biff received the insurance money, everything would be better. In reality, the family now has to grieve with their loss and... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman The death of Willy Loman was tragic and he was also a fool. This was due to his character and circumstances beyond his own control. Willy’s life was built of false dreams and hopes. Willy’s main values in life are money and being well liked. All of these factors helped with Willy’s mental undoing and ultimately his death. From the start of the play you can see that Willy’s character is one of confusion and is pessimistic. Willy was on his way to Portland when he claimed that he was tired to death and had to return to New York. He comes home and talks to Linda but doesn’t know why he came back. He thinks to himself and says, ‘I stopped for a cup of coffee. Maybe it was the coffee’. This shows his confusion about why he drove 4 hours back to New York. Through out the play you hear sounds of the flute being played. This because Willy is reminiscing when he was 3 years and 11 months old his whole family was together as a family unit. So much hope, comfort and security lay before Willy. This was probably the happiest time in Willy life. Then his older brother Ben left to go to Alaska. This means that Willy never had a father figure in his life and his character was built on the capitalist society that he was living in. Willy’s character wasn’t developed by his dad. This was beyond his control and an unfortunate set of circumstances for Willy. This greatly affected him because he is not a strong person, just like his son Biff. Biff isn’t strong because when he found out what a fraud his dad was and that he was being unfaith full to Linda. He didn’t get over it and in the end ruined most of his life because he didn’t want to go to summer school. Willy is a compulsive liar and constantly brags to people about how popular and how much money he used to make. This are all false dreams due to Willy’s foolishness he doesn’t ever overcome the lies even before he dies. For example in the last few pages of Act 2 Biff bre... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In Death of a Sales Man every character I believe warranted pity from the reader. However, Willy Loman more than any other character was the most tragic character. Willy’s warped sense of reality, his sad meaningless existence, and eventual suicide was what made him the very representation of the contemporary tragic hero. The first characteristic of the contemporary tragic hero is the very description of Willy. I pitied Willy, and the reason I did this was because of his displacement from society. Willy wasn’t displaced from society because of usual reasons, such as a depressing personality, or individualistic views, but because Willy had no concept of reality. Willy’s morals and ideals that he believed in more than anything else, were completely untrue, and Willy couldn’t deal with that. The fact that the only values he had instilled into his children was something Willy couldn’t take, so rather than confronting that and changing, he instead fell into a fantasy world. A world where all the mattered was that you looked good, and that you were well liked. These ideas are not true at all in society, but rather to succeed you need to work hard, and do well. I pitied Willy because he couldn’t accept reality The second characteristic is that the tragic hero has a major flaw. Willy’s major flaw again, is inability to see reality. Willy refuses to see reality to the point were should he be confronted with a fact he doesn’t like, he begins to hallucinate about years ago, when his children were young, and he was successful and he could follow his shallow ideals. Now his children are failures, his son Biff has been fired from every job he’s ever had since he failed out of school because he compulsively steals from them. And his son Happy pretends to be popular with women, successful in work, and next in line to be store manager of his job, but these are all lies. Even when confronted with the facts that his sons ar... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is depicted as living in his own world. The play centers around the end of Willy’s life, when the real world comes crashing through, ruining the false reality he had created for himself and his family. Throughout the play, Willy Loman uses the concept of being well liked to build a false image of reality, as shown through his teachings to his son, what he considers successful, and his reasoning for committing suicide. Willy teaches Biff the concept of being well-liked, reinforcing his own belief in the ideology and furthering his false sense of reality. Willy tries to instil his ideal of being well liked in his sons. When telling his children about how successful he is going to be during his flashback, Willy tells them he is going to be "Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked, but he’s not well-liked" So long as Biff plays good football, wins games, gets his name in the newspapers and makes friends Willy thinks that he will succeed in life and carry on the jovial Loman tradition. Willy has staked his whole happiness on Biff’s success, but Biff is a failure" Biff’s failure comes from the fact that once high school is over, nothing happens. Biff does not go on to be a great businessman or anything like that. Instead he goes from job to job, not making his fortune like Willy thought he would. This poked a hole in the world that Willy had presen ted to Biff and Happy. Willy even convinced himself that being well liked was the key to a successful life, and chose to believe that he was well liked. Like the legendary Dave Singleman, he wants to be well liked. â€Å"Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer" Even when he doubts his charisma, Linda is right there to tell hi... Free Essays on Death of a Salesman Charley says something in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman that sums up Willy’s whole life. He asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" Willy’s spends his entire life in an illusion. He sees himself as a great man that is popular and successful. Willy exhibits many childlike qualities. Many of these qualities have an impact on Willy’s family. His two sons Biff and Happy pick up this behavior from their father. He is idealistic, stubborn, and he has a false sense of his importance in the world. Willy is like an impetuous youngster with high ideals and high hopes. Children always have high hopes for their future. They all want to be astronauts or millionaires. Willy always believes he can achieve that kind of success. He never lets go of his wasted life. He dreams of being the man who does all of his business out of his house and dying a rich and successful man. Furthermore, Willy also dreams of moving to Alaska where he could work with his han ds and be a real man. Biff and Happy follow in their father’s footsteps in their lofty dreams and unrealistic goals. Biff wastes his life being a thief and a loner; furthermore, Biff, along with happy try to conjure up a crazy idea of putting on a sporting goods exhibition. The problem with Willy is that he never grows up and deals with his obstacles. Willy is also a very stubborn man. He is like a little child that wants to do something their way even though they know that another option would be the wiser choice. Charley practically sets a potential job into Willy’s lap and he refuses it. Willy just was fired and needed a job. He refuses one. Willy is too stubborn to let go of his old job and take a new one. He still believes that he is at the top of his profession. When Willy does not get his way he acts just as a child would. He has tantrums such as when he basically challenged Charley to a fight after he told him to grow up. Biff is also stubborn like his father. He ne... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman, is about Willy Loman who is experiencing a crisis where he is overwhelmed by the problems of his lifetime. He wants to be viewed as a good, decent human being, and he desperately wants to believe that he is a well-liked person that doesn’t make mistakes. However, the sad truth is that Willy has made lots of mistakes throughout his life, many of which are coming back to haunt him. The biggest problem Willy experiences that is prevalent through the play, is his struggle with his own self-concept. Willy Loman believes he is not a normal person because he knows he has made mistakes in his life, and he believes that making mistakes is not a normal human characteristic. He is portrayed as a man with a false sense of self, and he has passed this false sense of self onto his sons, making them believe they are something they’re not. Willy severely regrets his failures, which include raising Biff and Happy poorly, not doing well in business, and being unfaithful to his wife Linda. He feels that these mistakes he made have caused his life to become the ultimate failure. Willy is what has come to be known as a tragic hero. He wants to do things right, but the fact is that many incidences have occurred in his life that are coming back to haunt him. Consistently throughout the drama Willy drifts in and out of dream sequences, and he is constantly haunted by memories of things that happened in the past. Willy has an â€Å"underlying fear of being displaced† and this is the major problem apparent. His age has slowly caught up to him and he realizes that he isn’t as sharp as he used to be. Willy has a slight inferiority complex, and this is shown through the continuous flashbacks he has of his dead brother Ben who struck it rich in the jungle. Ben causes Willy to feel like more of a failure because he is struggling to make ends meet and provide for his family. Another example of Willy’s... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman â€Å"Death of a Salesman may center on personal and family breakdown but it also involves contradictions in national American ideals.† Discuss. On the surface, Arthur Miller’s groundbreaking play, Death of a Salesman, does seem firmly rooted in the â€Å"familial arena†. The whole play is structured to gradually reveal the deteriorating condition of Willy’s mind as well as the worsening relations of the entire Loman family, through a series of complex flashbacks. Beneath this, however, the structure of American society as a whole is analyzed and the ideals of the nation held up for review. Many of these come into conflict with each other, one often contradicting another, such as the ideal of the agricultural frontier versus that of the successful urban worker. The two issues are also essentially linked as it is the fact that Willy is often caught between two opposing ideals that lead to his personal breakdown, and the subsequent breakdown of his family. Willy Loman’s personal breakdown is the central issue in the play, as the title suggests. Within the first few lines of the opening scene, the audience is confronted with a man in obvious mental distress and forced to ask; is he mad or merely exhausted? Miller is instantly creating the persona of a deeply troubled man, he is quickly irritated by his wives questions and contradicts himself, firstly claiming; â€Å"Biff is a lazy bum!† then changing it to; â€Å"There’s one thing about Biff- he’s not lazy.† The audience is also quickly presented with the image of Willy becoming lost in the past and, even at this early stage, it is obvious that he has trouble distinguishing between the two. His perceptions of time and place are breaking down, a sure sign that he is no longer mentally stable. This impression of the leading character is strengthened by the first appearance of his dead brother, Ben. In this scene, as he sits playing cards with Charley, Willy is unable to distin... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman† challenges the idea of the American Dream. Willy Loman represents a uniquely typical American figure as the traveling salesman, who realizes the disenchantment with the American Dream because it fails him and his sons. The death of this particular salesman raises the issues concerning the significance and value of the American dream of success. Miller portrays the Lomans as an average all American family. He does this with the setting of middle class suburbia as well as with the dialogue. The house is described as â€Å"small, fragile-seeming home† with the kitchen as the center of the household. It could be anyone’s home, in any neighborhood in America. Additionally, the dialogue of the play includes a lot of American slang: gee, Pop, babe, flunk and knock ‘em dead, and the dialect of â€Å"coulda†, â€Å"woulda†, and â€Å"gotta† are also typically American. This is very effective depicting the Lomans as an everyday American family. Willy and Linda Loman attempt to achieve their own version of the American Dream. Their lives are full of monthly payment to pay for possessions that symbolize achieving that dream, such as a car, (Studebaker), home and household appliances. These monthly payments become a source of heartache because of the struggle to pay for them, even though to them they have achieved success because they have them. They also believe they are an ideal American family. Their two sons are built like Adonises; are well liked and even idolized by their peers and seem destined for success. Willy’s typical American job, his â€Å"All American† sons and his commitment to achieve the American dream enhance Miller’s idea of the American ideal. For years Willy has believed that both he and his sons (particularly Biff), will one day be great successes. He thinks that natural charisma, good looks and confidence are the most important attributes ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman The American Dream Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman ends with the tragic suicide of Willy Loman, the lead character. It is the end of a life spent uselessly chasing â€Å"the American dream†. Willy has been unsuccessful in achieving the success he so desperately craves because his perception of the formula for success is fatally flawed. Willy believes that the American dream is only attainable for the popular and attractive few, and he does not believe he belongs to this elite group. Yet, Willy still works his entire life pursuing his dream. The first component of the American dream, in Willy’s eyes is a successful career. Always the dreamer, he attempts to make his mark as a salesman because â€Å"selling is the greatest career a man can want† (1859; Act 2). But when he falls short of his goals, he blames the superficiality of the business world, as evidenced in his thoughts about Bernard: â€Å"Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you’re going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want† (1836; Act1). Willy has ingrained his distorted views in his sons, Biff and Happy, condemning them to failure as well. Happy complains, â€Å"I mean I can outbox, outrun, and outlift anybody in that store, and I have to take orders from those common, pretty sons-of-bitches till I can’t stand it any more† (1831; Act 1). Happy thinks that just because he is stronger than those who give him orders, he should be the one to give the orders. His father taught him that that was the way to success, and it is obviously failing for Happy. A second aspect of Willy’s American dream is mat... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is depicted as living in his own world. The play centers around the end of Willy’s life, when the real world comes crashing through, ruining the false reality he had created for himself and his family. Throughout the play, Willy Loman uses the concept of being well liked to build a false image of reality, as shown through his teachings to his son, what he considers successful, and his reasoning for committing suicide. Willy teaches Biff the concept of being well-liked, reinforcing his own belief in the ideology and furthering his false sense of reality. Willy tries to instil his ideal of being well liked in his sons. When telling his children about how successful he is going to be during his flashback, Willy tells them he is going to be "Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked, but he’s not well-liked" So long as Biff plays good football, wins games, gets his name in the newspapers and makes friends Willy thinks that he will succeed in life and carry on the jovial Loman tradition. Willy has staked his whole happiness on Biff’s success, but Biff is a failure" Biff’s failure comes from the fact that once high school is over, nothing happens. Biff does not go on to be a great businessman or anything like that. Instead he goes from job to job, not making his fortune like Willy thought he would. This poked a hole in the world that Willy had presen ted to Biff and Happy. Willy even convinced himself that being well liked was the key to a successful life, and chose to believe that he was well liked. Like the legendary Dave Singleman, he wants to be well liked. â€Å"Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer" Even when he doubts his charisma, Linda is right there to tell hi... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Dream On Time is an inescapable aspect of our daily lives, which we live by, by being in certain places at certain times. For most of us, it is easy to live in the present, taking in the day’s activities and looking to the future. In the story Death of a Salesman, the Loman family is not like the majority of society, living in the present, but living in the past and in illusions. Willy Loman is an old businessman close to the end of his career. The biggest problem for the Loman family was his efforts to bring his wife and two sons down with him as he struggles to make ends meet. He is an ignorant and stubborn man that believes that both he and his family are something that they are not. His pursuit of the â€Å"American Dream† throughout his life leads him to live completely in the past through flashbacks he has and dreams that are unfulfilled. Throughout the story, time is important to developing the play’s theme and characters by showing the downfalls of Willy an d how they affect his family and eventually, lead to his death. Willy Loman has been a businessman his whole life and has never known anything else in his life. Willy does not have Alzheimer’s disease or any other health related problem, but we know there is something very wrong with him. In the opening scene of the play, he must turn around his car because he can’t remember where he was going. Nor did he recall what he was doing and could not remember the past five minutes. â€Å"I’m tellin’ ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody† (Miller 1316). From the beginning the audience is brought into these flashbacks that Willy has, because they tell us how his current mental condition has developed. In Willy’s earlier years, he was a very proud father and wanted nothing but the best for his boys. His eldest son, Biff, was a star football player and had several scholarship ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller shows the life of a salesman as he attempts to fulfill the ‘American Dream’. Willy, the salesman and father is the main character of the story. He has two sons, Biff and Happy, and a wife, Linda. This play has always been portrayed as the focus of the American Dream; however, I see this play as the hardships of parenting. Willy tries and tries to make a good amount of money so that his sons will be financially sound. There are many minor characters that have a big impact on the storyline and plot of the play. Just the same, each of these minor characters changes the way that Willy focuses his parenting technique. Willy does not recognize the impact that each of these characters has on the interaction and influence of his children, and only sees them as the dreams/obstacles of his goals. Linda, Willy’s ever so faithful wife, tries to share in Willy’s ideals, and suffers great torment as she observes Willy’s decline knowing that she is unable to help. She is loyal and supportive even as she struggles to come to terms with the city, her husband, and her sons. Sadly, she fails to understand what happens to Willy, and fails to fathom what has occurred between him and Biff, but still manages to retain a belief in the need to treat human beings properly. Linda consistently comforts Willy into supporting Biff through his bad times, even though Willy gives up on him. Biff, Willy’s eldest son was a successful athlete in High School. Biff lacks self- assurance because of the uncertainty about his father’s attitude towards him, and his doubts about his own life and future. He has not found his place in society, but also realizes that he does not fit into any of the openings that society has made for him. His character is a result of Willy’s lies†¦he is undisciplined and disillusioned. Biff sees the city as a concrete jungle, but refuses to conform to the city’s demands. Happ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In the stories â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and â€Å"A Doll’s House,† there are many similarities. I went on to pick one character from each story whom’s similarity interested me the most. The characters I picked were Willy Loman from â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and Torvald Helmer of â€Å"A Doll’s House.† I picked these characters because of their motivation to make it to become successful. Both stories are about a climb for success that leads to betrayal. The story â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† comes with the symbolic meaning of the death of an â€Å"American Dream,† or the ridding of illusion as it applies to the American Dream. The story â€Å"A Doll’s House† the title reflects the main character’s life and how she was treated like treasure such as a doll. Both Willy and Torvald lives are similar to the fact that they are both trying to provide for their families, but in the end they discover a great loss. Willy Loman a salesman and a firm believer in the â€Å"American Dream,† had the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. In Willy Loman motivation to become successful was he felt that he believes success comes from being well liked not worrying about qualifications and being popular you well always come out on top. Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality. Willy also starts to lie on the amount of sales that he is making whenever his wife asks him about his sales. Torvald Helmer is a Lawyer/Bank Manager who feels reputation plays a big part in his success to do well. Motivation was a key position in both Willy and Torvald lives to help them climb to become a success. In the story Torvald Helmer motivation was his appearance to be professional and personal and the knowing fact that his family will not want in the future. Torvald pushes his limits to get what he wants to become a succ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman â€Å"Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good.† This simply means that english brings out negative rather than positive. This is true in many pieces of literature. In Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller this lens is supported in the American Dream. Willy Loman is a traveling salesman who believes the American Dream, that anyone can become rich and well known through only hard work, perseverance, or personality. This attitude destroys Willy’s life through the course of the novel. Characterization and Theme are used by Arthur Miller to support this lens. Characterization is used effectively in revealing what type of character Willy Loman was. Willy was like a child, he had high ideals and high hopes, but had no ambition of pursuing them. Willy believed that a good life and financial security was going to be handed to him. However, Willy is eventually overcome by his dreams and illusions. He realizes that his life is a wreck and wasted. In the end Willy makes one final profit, selling his life. He does this because he believes it will help his son Biff out. Theme is also used to support the lens. The falsity of the American Dream plays a big part in the novel. Willy is the main target of this theme. After years of working as a traveling salesman, Willy Loman has only an old car, an empty house, and a defeated spirit. Miller chose the job of salesman carefully for his American Dreamer. A salesman does not make his/her own product, has not mastered a particular skill or a body of knowledge, and works on the empty substance of dreams and promises. Additionally, a salesman must sell his/her personality as much as his/her product. Willy Loman falsely believes he needs nothing more than to be well liked to make it big. The lens, â€Å"Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good† is supported in...

Conquering 13 Common College Freshmen Fears

Conquering 13 Common College Freshmen Fears Its totally normal to be nervous about starting college. Your apprehension is a sign that you are interested in doing well and are gearing up for a challenge- the most fruitful experiences are often the most challenging. Most of your fears will probably fade away after your first few weeks, and if they dont, most schools have plenty of resources for dealing with common first-year worries. Here are 13 common worries that crop up in the minds of college freshmen: 1. I Was Admitted by Accident This is a common concern, but an extremely uncommon occurrence. Rest assured, it is unlikely you were admitted by accident, and if you had been, you would have been informed by now. 2. My Roommate Will Be Awful This is, of course, a possibility, but theres also a good chance youll get along really well with your college roommate or roommates. To give yourself the best chance of having a healthy and successful relationship with your roommates, try to communicate with them before school starts. Once you move in, discuss ground rules for things like sharing food, hosting guests, cleaning, and quiet hours. You might even go so far as to write the rules down in a roommate contract. No matter what happens, do your best to be respectful, and if it doesnt work out, you may have an opportunity to change roommates sophomore year. At the very least, youll probably learn something from the experience. 3. I Wont Make New Friends One important thing to remember is that virtually everyone is new, and almost no one knows anybody else. Take a deep breath and introduce yourself to others at orientation, in your classes, and on your floor. Consider joining social clubs, intramural sports, or a student organization where youre likely to find others who share your interests. 4. Im Not Smart Enough Of course, college will be harder than high school, but that doesnt mean you wont do well. Prepare yourself for a challenging workload, and if you feel youre performing below your expectations, ask for help. Your academic adviser can direct you toward relevant resources, like a tutoring center or a fellow student who can help you study. 5. Ill Be Homesick This is true of many college freshmen, and its completely normal. Even if youre not going away to school, youll probably end up missing the time you used to have to spend with friends, family, and loved ones. The good news is there are lots of ways to maintain relationships with those you care about. Block out time to call your parents, check in with your best friend from high school every few days, or email those you want to stay in touch with about your college experience. 6. Im Worried About Money College is expensive, and this is a legitimate concern. You may have to borrow money to cover your education costs. But learning to manage your money is a life skill that youll need to know. If you havent started learning about budgeting your money, college is the perfect time to start. Understanding the specifics of your financial aid package and getting a good on-campus job are smart ways to start getting the hang of personal finance. 7. I Dont Know How to Juggle All My Commitments Time management is one of the biggest challenges for college students. But the sooner you work on it, the better prepared youll be for handling the demands of a full-time job, family, and social commitments. Experiment with different ways of keeping yourself organized, like making to-do lists, using a calendar, setting goals, and assigning priority levels to your tasks. By learning some important time management skills, you can stay on top of your academics and learn how to handle a demanding schedule while still having fun. 8. Ive Never Been on My Own Before Being on your own, especially for the first time, is hard. But something inside of you knows you are ready or you wouldnt have wanted to go to college in the first place. Sure, youll make mistakes along the way, but youre ready to head off on your own. And if youre struggling, there are plenty of people and support mechanisms on a college campus to help. 9. I Cant Do Basic Tasks Dont know how to cook or do laundry? Trying is a great way to learn. And with the wealth of how-to guides online, you should be able to find plenty of guidance for whatever youre trying to do. Better yet, before leaving for school, have someone teach you how to do laundry. If youre already at school, learn by watching someone else or ask for help. 10. I Might Gain Weight Most incoming students have heard of the dreaded 15 pounds that some incoming first-year students gain when they start school. While the wealth of food options and a busy schedule may make it easier than ever to make unhealthy choices, the opposite is also true: You may have more opportunities than ever to stay active and eat well. Try to plan your meals so youre eating enough whole foods and vegetables, and make it a goal to explore as many recreational activities as you can. Whether its checking out group fitness classes, joining intramural sports, biking to class, or making regular trips to the recreation center, youll have plenty of options for staying healthy and avoiding the freshman 15. 11. Im Intimidated by My Professors In addition to being incredibly smart and, yes, even intimidating at times, college professors often set aside time for connecting with students. Make a note of each professors office hours, and muster up the courage to introduce yourself early on, asking how they prefer their students to ask for help if needed. If your professor has an assistant, you may want to try speaking with him or her first. 12. I Want to Stay Connected to My Faith Even at small schools, you may be able to find an organization that caters to and celebrates your religion. See if your school has an office dedicated to spiritual life or browse the student organization list for such groups. If one doesnt exist, why not create one? 13. I Dont Know What to Do After College This is a common fear for incoming students, but if you embrace the uncertainty, you may learn a lot about yourself. Take a variety of courses in your first year or two, and talk to professors and upperclassmen in subjects youre considering majoring in. While its important to plan out your course load and set goals for earning your degree, dont let the pressure to figure everything out interfere with these valuable years of exploration.

Kirchhoffs Laws for Current and Voltage

Kirchhoff's Laws for Current and Voltage In 1845, German physicist Gustav Kirchhoff first described two laws that became central to electrical engineering. Kirchhoffs Current Law, also known as Kirchhoffs Junction Law, and Kirchhoffs First Law, define the way that electrical current is distributed when it crosses through a junction- a point where three or more conductors meet. Put another way, Kirchhoffs Laws state that the sum of all currents leaving a node in an electrical network is always equal to zero, notes Resistor Guide. These laws are extremely useful in real life because they describe the relation of values of currents that flow through a junction point and voltages in an electrical circuit loop, explains Rapid Tables. In other words, these rules describe how electrical current flows in all of the billions of electric appliances and devices, as well as throughout homes and businesses, that are in use continually on Earth. Kirchhoffs Laws: The Basics Specifically, the laws state that: The algebraic sum of current into any junction is zero. Since current is the flow of electrons through a conductor, it cannot build up at a junction, meaning that current is conserved: What goes in must come out. You can think of perhaps the most well-known example of a junction: a junction box. These boxes are installed on most houses: They are the boxes that contain the wiring through which all electricity in the home must flow. When performing calculations, then, the current flowing into and out of the junction typically has opposite signs. You can also state Kirchhoffs Current Law as: The sum of current into a junction equals the sum of current out of the junction. You can further break down the two laws more specifically. Kirchhoffs Current Law In the picture, a junction of four conductors (wires) is shown. The currents i2 and i3 are flowing into the junction, while i1 and i4 flow out of it. In this example, Kirchhoffs Junction Rule yields the following equation: i 2 i 3 i 1 i 4 Kirchhoffs Voltage Law Kirchhoffs Voltage Law describes the distribution of electrical  voltage within a loop, or closed conducting path, of an electrical circuit. Specifically, Kirchhoffs Voltage Law states that: The algebraic sum of the voltage (potential) differences in any loop must equal zero. The voltage differences include those associated with electromagnetic fields (emfs) and resistive elements, such as resistors, power sources (for example, batteries) or devices (such as lamps, televisions, and blenders) plugged into the circuit. In other words, you can picture this as the voltage rising and falling as you proceed around any of the individual loops in the circuit. Kirchhoffs Voltage Law comes about because the electrostatic field within an electric circuit is a conservative force field. In fact, the voltage represents the electrical energy in the system, so it can be thought of as a specific case of conservation of energy. As you go around a loop, when you arrive at the starting point has the same potential as it did when you began, so any increases and decreases along the loop have to cancel out for a total change of zero. If it didnt, then the potential at the start/end point would have two different values. Positive and Negative Signs in Kirchhoffs Voltage Law Using the Voltage Rule requires some sign conventions, which arent necessarily as clear as those in the Current Rule. You choose a direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) to go along the loop. When traveling from positive to negative ( to -) in an emf (power source) the voltage drops, so the value is negative. When going from negative to positive (- to ) the voltage goes up, so the value is positive. Remember that when traveling around the circuit to apply Kirchhoffs Voltage Law, be sure you are always going in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) to determine whether a given element represents an increase or decrease in the voltage. If you begin jumping around, moving in different directions, your equation will be incorrect. When crossing a resistor, the voltage change is determined by the formula I*R, where I is the value of the current and R is the resistance of the resistor. Crossing in the same direction as the current means the voltage goes down, so its value is negative. When crossing a resistor in the direction opposite the current, the voltage value is positive (the voltage is increasing). Applying Kirchhoffs Voltage Law The most basic applications for Kirchhoffs Laws are in relation to electrical circuits. You may remember from middle school physics that electricity in a circuit must flow in one continuous direction. If you break the circuit- by flipping off a light switch- you are breaking the circuit, and hence turning off the light. Once you flip the switch, you re-engage the circuit, and the lights come back on. Or, think of stringing lights on your house or Christmas tree. If just one light bulb blows out, the entire string of lights goes out. This is because the electricity, stopped by the broken light, has no place to go. Its essentially the same as turning off the light switch and breaking the circuit. The other aspect of this with regard to Kirchhoffs Laws is that the sum of all electricity going into and flowing out of a junction must be zero: The electricity going into the junction (and flowing around the circuit) must equal zero because the electricity that goes in must also come out. So, next time youre working on your junction box (or observing an electrician doing so), stringing electric holiday lights, or even just turning on or off your TV or computer, remember that Kirchhoff first described how it all works, thus ushering in the age of electricity that the world now enjoys.

Limitations of Man's Moral Capacities and Role of Political Order Research Paper

Limitations of Man's Moral Capacities and Role of Political Order - Research Paper Example The adoption of federal constitution perhaps had presented a challenge in that many political philosophers did not immediately know the extent to which the application of the new constitution will sustain what had become the order of the day or to what extent was it going to effect changes and to whose favor or disfavor. In the understanding of crucial role that the constitution was going to play, the most respected constitution architects of that time had carefully observed the situations, and agreed as leaders of the most fundamental states then that it was permissible that the many should have perfect representation, both being afraid of Monarchy and aristocracy as had been witnessed from continental Europe. Federalists’ essays, though not having a lot of public support, had begun exploring the nature of citizens in line with the provisions in the constitution that could have been perceived as inappropriate then. This is just to introduce the very rise of federalists. Quest ioning of Mans Moral Capacities One of the most fundamental concerns in federal constitution was the institution of the presidency. ... However we find Publius crafting another complex system in Electoral College and sufficiently argues out that anyone who passes grilling of the Electoral College will definitely be a man of good morals. Besides, we can also observe that this goes hand in hand with the creation of the senate whose joint power supersedes that of the institution of presidency in critical aspects. Publius draws a comparison of political institutions then and justifies that people’s concerns are well taken care of. By crafting the duties and obligations of the president to give him a parliamentary status of membership, morality of office bearer is further monitored through provision of impeachment by the house so as to protect the interest of the majority in the event that there is questionable abuse of office. Although giving so much power to this institution, Publius cannot entrust political governance of the people without checks and balances (Carey and MacClellan, 231). Equally important is the realization by Publius that if morality of the judiciary remains at a political stake, then the whole concept of moral justice will be lost. It becomes apparent that separation of powers and independence of each institution takes center stage. Publius notices that for a judiciary to be legitimate, it must have trust of the people from whose mandate it was created through the constitution. Abuse of powers and political influence on judicial decisions were very common then. The first fundamental step that Publius takes is to insulate the morality of office bearers by providing for life tenure. We realize that by possessing neither will nor force but only judgment, it was really vital to have a satisfied judiciary that cannot

Implementation of an Improvement Strategy in an Organizational Essay

Implementation of an Improvement Strategy in an Organizational Structure of Mathews Corporation - Essay Example As the discussion stresses systems and business, basically Matthew Corporation was founded in 1923 and is a leader in high-performance labels, signs, and associated industrial safety products. It manufactures ultra-thin recognition labels for handheld electronic devices. One more labels it producer shields electronic devices by dispersing their temperature or static. A number of labels work in temperatures colder than 50 below zero, others burn or turn out sounds in the dark, cover themselves, or still stick to oily or greasy products. So this is the little introduction regarding the company business and production. This paper highlights that the key function carry out by the company is to run the 30 business units and manufacture and distributes its labels from 35 locations in 15 countries on five continents around the world. There are lots of countries where this company supplies its products. The basic task of the company is to produce the high-performance labels and related industrial safety products. If the reporter   talks about the competitive forces that are attached to the overall company system then we get that in this new age and with the availability of new digital system, customers have the facility of purchasing and ordering online for their products. In this area a lot of new companies have launched their websites to support their business in a better way through internet facility. So there is lot of computation on e-business for the company, and this challenge can only be achieved through better online order management and ecommerce standards implementation. The basis of compet ition is the availability of better online and ecommerce support to the customer. Nowadays there is need of less time consumption in order processing and better online customer support and services.