Using the Plays “Much Ado About Nothing” and “the Rover”,...

Using the plays â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† and â€Å"The Rover†, discuss and compare each play’s treatment of women. The Renaissance comedy, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, written by Shakespeare in 1600 during the Elizabethan era, addresses male inconstancy and female persecution; how women are controlled by the prevailing patriarchal system. Hero, the conventional heroine, is a ‘shrinking violet’, who suffers character assassination through male actions. ‘The Rover’, written in 1677 for the Restoration society of Charles II where men were hedonistic, uncommitted and brimming with bravado, also explores gender conflicts. However playwright, Aphra Behn, in this Restoration comedy, critically comments on male attitudes, and - through female rebellion†¦show more content†¦Hypocritically he assumes the role of victim, accusing her of leaving a â€Å"cob-web door to catch flies†. However Behn offers the audience a scintilla of justification from this attempted rape, Wilmore blaming the â€Å"cursed sack† he has drunken which might excuse him from the Restoration crowd, if not later audiences. Worse is to come in 4/2 when the masked Florinda hides in Blunt’s lodgings from her brother. While Wilmore is afforded drunken stupor as an excuse, Blunt’s actions are motivated by misogynistic revenge. Blunt’s hatred for Lucetta the prostitute turns Florinda into an opportunity to â€Å"wreak his righteous revenge on womankind†. Frederick’s involvement also implicates the cavaliers’ behaviour as he joins Blunt. Even Belvile’s honourable status is doubted, Frederick referring to him as â€Å"a cormorant at whore and bacon†. It is unsurprising that 18th century productions censored Blunt’s most vicious imagery to protect public tastes. The atmosphere becomes graver still as Florinda’s brother ironically wins the ‘lottery’ using the length of their swords; an explicit phallic connotation, to take Florinda first. Even the Restoration audience recognises Behn challenging male hypocrisies, by creating a situation where the patriarchal protector himself is responsible for the loss of female virtue. The swiftness with which Florinda accepts their apologies â€Å"I heartily forgive you all† provides the males, especially Blunt, with undeserving

Jane Eyre s Cold And Fiery Motif Essay - 1160 Words

Jane Eyre’s frigid and fiery motif The definition for a motif is essentially an important idea or subject that is repeated throughout a book (Merriam-Webster). A motif of fire and ice was present in this novel through a binary of love and hate. In Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, binaries were created using different elements within the novel, symbolism, imagery, etc. While profoundly reading Jane Eyre, I tracked the image/motif of fire and ice. The fire and ice are used throughout the story to thoroughly develop a binary between love and hate. Fire was seen as warm, passionate and loving while ice seemed to be sharp, destructive, and bitter. Each element is associated with specific characters to show this contrast. For example, obviously Jane is represented with fire and Mrs. Reed is associated with ice. Even though fire is more destructive then ice, it serves a positive role in the book. Opposite to fire, ice serves a negative role in the novel. Fire is a symbol of emotion in the novel and is involved in deep moments of love and hate. There were various examples of ‘fire’ that develop love and hate in the story. The two most important ‘fires’ in the novel are literal and both committed by Bertha Mason. The first act of arson occurs in Volume 1, Chapter 15 when Bertha sets Rochester’s clothes on fire. â€Å"Something creaked: it was a door ajar, and that door was Mr. Rochester’s, and the smoke rushed in a cloud from thence† (148). Out of love, Jane doused her crush in

The Heart and Christian Bernard free essay sample

The Heart and Christian Barnard Christian Barnard, the man who performed the first human heart transplant. Christian Barnard was born in Beaufort West, South Africa on November 8, 1922. He was the fourth of five sons. His father was Adam Hedrick Barnard who was a reverend in the Dutch reformed church, he preached to a non-white congregation. His mother was Maria Elisabeth Deswart Barnard who had been a school teacher before marriage. Both parents were also Afrikaner missionaries. Christian Barnard grew up in a poor environment in Beaufort West, a town on South Africa’s semi-arid Great Karroo plateau. Christian Barnard attended a local high school he went on and received an M. D. degree from the University of Cape Town in 1953. He received a Ph. D degree from the University of Minnesota in 1958. He returned to the University of Cape Town in 1958 to teach surgery. He specialized in open-heart surgery and in designing artificial heart valves. We will write a custom essay sample on The Heart and Christian Bernard or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The first human heart transplant was performed on December 3, 1967, transferring the heart of a 25 year old woman into the body of Louis Waskansky , a 55 year old grocer. He died 18 days later due to double pneumonia as a result of his suppressed immune system. The second transplant was on January 2, 1968 which was for Philip Blaiberg, who lived for 563 days after the operation. Christian Barnard spent the beginning of his adult life in the United States where he gained recognition for research in gastrointestinal pathology and later went back to South Africa and introduced open-heart surgery to that country and designed artificial valves for the human heart. Christian Barnard made a huge impact and contribution to healthcare when he attempted and accomplished the worlds first human heart transplant which was a huge success in the medical field. His accomplishment led to further investigation in heart transplants and which now is a normal surgery that is performed all around the world today. Christian Barnard had been bothered by rheumatoid arthritis since he was young, and advancing stiffness in his hands forced his retirement from surgery in 1983. He took up writing, however, and wrote a cardiology text, an autobiography, and several novels, including a thriller about organ transplants. He passed away on September 2, 2001. Christian Barnard has made a huge impact on healthcare and the study of medicine. Christian Barnard is a hero to me because he was brave enough to take a chance and put his reputation on the line to make a difference. Christian Barnard’s contribution to health care has changed the years to come in medicine and his contribution will always be remembered.

The 20S Essays - Conservatism In The United States, Fashion

The 20'S Jazz clubs and bobbed hair, isolation and revolution, all of these were things that, in one way or another, made the 1920s roar. The twenties were a time of economic and social growth for many Americans, but it was also a time of great hardship for many. The 1920s were fascinating in the way that there were so many changes occurring in society. It is still difficult to decide though as to whether or not the 1920s were a time of rebellion or a time of conservatism. During the 1920s there were trends of both conservatism as well as rebellion occurring simultaneously. Many women from the middle to upper class were beginning to change their appearances and attitudes. Many of these women could be deemed rebels simply because of the way they began dressing. These women were wearing shorter skirts, cutting their hair short and even wearing mens pants. These new trends were seen as horrid and indecent. Women were also beginning to wear make up, which only a few years earlier was only worn by prostitutes. This was not the only way that women were breaking the mold though, women were now entering new fields in the work force. Women were now doing jobs that many people had felt women could not do. Not everything in the twenties was about pushing the envelope though. There was also a trend now where a woman was expected to keep up both her appearance as well as her home. Parents were now supposed to show more affection for their children and spouses as we ll. These are more conservative trends that were very prevalent throughout the 1920s. The economy played a huge role in all of the trends that occurred in the 1920s. People who were in the middle to upper classes were doing very well. The economy was doing well and many people becoming rich off of the stock market. When the economy rises people begin to worry more about fashion and appearance because they can afford to. This is what was happening during the twenties, people were doing well and were showing themselves off a bit. A major factor that contributed to the huge success of people in the urban areas of the country was due to the governments generally conservative nature during the 1920s. The governments main focus during this time was on US industry. With the tariff acts of 1922 and 1930 the doors were swung shut on any foreign competition for US business. This gave all of the domestic market to US industry. This was the major factor in giving US business its huge boost. This is also the indirect cause for all of the social changes that were occurring in the middle to upper classes. These government policies are also the cause for why farmers in rural parts of the country were doing horrible. When WWI was going on farmers were doing better than ever due the new demand from foreign markets, but when we put up the large tariffs so did other countries which cut off all foreign market for the farmers. So during the 1920s while everyone else was prospering farmers were struggling. The 1920s were a time of great change in the US. The twenties effect us to this very day in the way we run business, the way our government runs our country, and it has even affected the way we dress. There is no way though to say that the 1920s were simply a time of rebellion or a time of conservatism. It could be said though that the mix of rebellion and conservatism has helped shape our country and will continue to do so in the future. History