Mac Flecknoe as a Satire free essay sample

Brower (1959) comments him that the whole account of poetic composition indicates clearly that Dryden sought for intellectual strength and rational precision in form. This indication is found as well in Mac Flecknoe. Dryden’s role as a poetic prophet to his literary society is emphasized through his use of satirical form. Its disparity and humour display â€Å"true wit,† the aim of any seventeenth century author. Mac Flecknoe represents the popularity of satire during Dryden’s day. Clarence Hugh Holman and William Harmon define satire as â€Å"a literary manner that blends a critical attitude with humor and wit for the purpose of improving human institutions or humanity† (447). This literary convention, known for its use of clever and unusual conceit, seeks to both inform and educate readers about social decorum and moral values. About the poem (MacFlecknoe) Oliver Gold Smith in his article The Beauties of English Poetry (1967), as it is quoted by Wheatly writes: The severenity of this satire, and the excellence of its versification give it a distinguished rank in this species of composition. We will write a custom essay sample on Mac Flecknoe as a Satire or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At present, an ordinary reader would scarcely suppose that Shadwell, who is here meant by MacFlecknoe, was worth being chastised, and that Dryden, descending to such game, was like an JIBS (Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa dan Sastra) Vol. 1/ Nomor 2/ Juli Desember 2001 127 eagle stooping to catch flies. The truth however is, Shadwell at one time held divided reputation with this great poet. Every age produces its fashionable dances, who, by following the transcient topic or humor of the day, supply talkative ignorance with materials for conversation. Wheatly, 1967: 161). zsdbn holding up vice or folly to ridicule or lampooning individuals. The use of ridicule, irony, sarcasm, etc. , in speech or writing for the ostensible purpose of exposing and discourage vice or folly. Such a work uses the elevated style of the classical epic poem such as  The Iliad  to satirize human follies. A mock epic pretends that a person, a place, a thing, or an idea is extraordinary when—in the authors view—it is actually insignificant and trivial. For  example, a mock epic about an inconsequential U. S. resident such as Millard Fillmore might compare him to such rulers as Pericles,  Julius Caesar, Saladin, Louis XIV, and George Washington. . In writing Mac  Flecknoe,  John Dryden  imitated not only the characteristics of Homers epics but also those of later writers such asVirgil,  Dante, and  Milton. In its opening lines of MacFlecknoe introduce Flecknoe who is comparable to emperor Augustus who has power in the realms of nonsense. The faculty of the poet in creating satire is on his giving value on any eleme nt that he considers valueless. Dryden praises Richard Flecknoe for his ignorance in poetic world. In John Dryden and His Satire MacFlecknoe (Joseph Supardjana) 128 this condition he decides to settle the question of succession. While looking for a successor he has decided on Shadwell who must reign. The reason is, it is Shadwell who can imitate the bad poetry Richard Flecknoe had written. This idea is in line with the following lines of MacFlecnoe. ’tis resolv’d; for nature pleads that he Should only rule, who most resembles me: â€Å"Sh†¦.. lone my perfect image bears,Mature in dullness from his tender years. Sh†¦.. alone of all my sons, is he Who stands confirm’d n full stupidity† MacFlecknoe  can be read as a satire directed against a representative of what Dryden perceived as a bad poet or dramatist. He stands for dullness and fog as opposed to sharp wit. He is the king of mediocrity. The poem is also a commentary the on Art and its’ relation to Nature. Dryden saw Art as â€Å"Nature’s handmaid†, that is, true Art should imitate nature as closely as possible. The flaw of MacFlecknoe’s poetry is that it is unnatural – poetry doesn’t flow naturally from his pen – his creative process is compared  to labouring – he threshes  out forced metric lines: â€Å"thy Paper in thy Thrashing-Hand†. Even the music in his plays is antithetical to nature: â€Å"The Treble squeaks doe fear, the Bases Rore;† Thus, Shadwell’s work is not true art because it is not a mirror of nature. 1  Part of this conception of a non-masculine and unnatural art emerges in images of pregnancy or fertility which do not result in creative output – what Dryden calls â€Å"Pangs without birth, and fruitless Industry†. ) Historically speaking Flecknoe assumed the throne as King of Nonsense. .When the time comes for him to choose which of his sons is worthy to succeed him and â€Å"wage immortal war with wit† (line 12), Flecknoe decides that the son most like him should receive the honor. That son is Thomas Shadwell, who has been â€Å"mature in dullness from his tender years† (line 16) and is the only one of his offspring who stands â€Å"confirmd in full stupidity† (line 18). . So Shadwell inherits the throne as  Mac  Flecknoe (son of Flecknoe). . Shadwell is so witless (and, therefore, perfect for the throne) that he does no more thinking than a monarch oak shading a plain. There are others with similar virtues, such as Heywood and Shirley. However, other writers are no match for Shadwell—not even his father. True, Flecknoe was a renowned dunce, but he was merely a  harbinger, a forerunner, to prepare the way for the ultimate dunce, his son. Nitwit writers who came before Shadwell occasionally displayed the dimmest glimmer of intelligence. But Shadwell never wrote a line that made any sense. The proud father of Shadwell hopes that his sons domain will one day encompass all the earth and that he will produce new dull plays to delight the dimwitted. â€Å"The people cryd amen,† the narrator says. Satire focus rather on those things which we can correct in order to be better than we are. It invites us to scorn the target in order to spurn that activity,so is seen in Mac Flecknoe when Dryden mocks at Shadwell. At the basis of every good traditional satire is a sense of moral outrage or indignation. Dryden found an inordinate reliance on the idea of Humours to be  crippling to the art of characterization in dramaturgy. He found an antipathy to the use of Wit and quick repartee an equivalent  to dullness and fogginess  which are prevalent throughout the poem in descriptions of Flecknoe  and MacFlecknoe. They are â€Å"scourge of  Wit, and flayle  of Sense†, and Flecknoe chooses the son â€Å"who most resembles [him]† to â€Å"wage immortal war with  Wit†Ã‚  and â€Å"Ne’er to have Peace with  Wit, nor truce with Sense†, since he perceives Shadwell and his group as adversaries of Wit. Dryden defines the humors as employed in Shadwell’s plays in the following terms: â€Å"A Humour is the Byas of the Mind,By which with violence ‘tis one way inclin’d: It make’s our Actions lean on one side still And in all Changes that way bends the Will. † Dryden goes on mocking Shadwell by widening the idea of succession. Flecknoe recommends Shadwell to imitate bad dramatist of Elizabethan period, Heywood and Shirley. Dryden names these two dramatists â€Å"prophet of tautology† which means perfect imitators. Dryden writes: â€Å"Heywood and Shirley were but type of thee, Thou last great prophet of tautology Even I, a dunce of more renown than they Was sent before but to prepare thy way. â€Å" In MacFlecknoe everything is regarded upside down. The same thing happens to literary world. Shadwell, the worst poet who uses tautologies becomes the successor to the throne of â€Å"dullness†. Compared to Heywood, Shirley and Flecknoe, Shadwell is the worst poet who inherits the crown of dullness. Flecknoe supports Shadwell to be his successor by a certain reason. For him, Shadwell is comparable to ancient Greek musician in Greek mythology whose name was Arion. It was told that in a ship some sailors threatened Arion to play lyre. He jumped into the sea where dolphins carried him safely to shore. Flecknoe JIBS (Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa dan Sastra) Vol. 1/ Nomor 2/ Juli Desember 2001129 has a great hope for Shadwell’s future as Dryden writes: here stopped the good old sire, and wept for joy/ In silent raptures of the hopeful boy. Dryden describes that Flecknoe has ever entered the â€Å"nursery†, a London theatre for boys and girls to study drama. In that place, the name of Simpkin, a representation of a bad poet, is noted as the member of the nursery. At this place, Flecknoe designs Shadwell’s throne, Mockingly Dryden describes, instead of carpets there are piles of the limbs of mangled poets. Unknown authors emerge from their hidden place. Flecknoe is on the throne. Shadwell vows to uphold the dullness so successfully maintained by Flecknoe. Dryden continuously mocks Shadwell who has to advance ignorance and fruitless industry. The phrase fruitless industry is an irony for Shadwell indicating that Shadwell is unproductive writer. It is underscored by a long time that he has spent to write The Virtuoso. Shadwell is a slow writer. Flecknoe advises Shadwell to John Dryden and His Satire MacFlecknoe (Joseph Supardjana) 130 let dullness naturally comes to him. The quotation above is a bitter attack to Flecknoe. As an obedient â€Å"son† Shadwell is agree with everything Flecknoe advises him. 3) This moral basis helps to explain why a satire, even a very strong one which does nothing more than attack unremittingly some target, can offer a firm vision of what is right. By attacking what is wrong and exposing it to ridicule the satirist is acquainting the reader with a shared positive moral doctrine, whether the satire actually goes into that doctrine in detail or not. Dryden in Mac Flecknoe does not discuss what good literature is; but by attacking bad literature, he makes it clear what needs to occur if literature is to be valued. In MacFlecknoe, Dryden’s definition of good art also comes to be  strongly associated with class. When he says that bad poetry laden with â€Å"Pure Clinches† or puns is inspired by the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"suburban Muse†, his implication is that it is only the genteel circles of London that produce and read good poetry – thus, Bun-hill and Watling  Street are down-market parts of London which   by virtue of their economic demography can only produce low art. The world that MacFlecknoe  reigns over is the world of artistic production which thrives in burroughs of London which weren’t seen as respectable – and it is this underbelly of the city: brothels â€Å"of lewd loves, and of polluted joys†, actors, and public playhouses which Dryden deems â€Å"realms of nonsense absolute. † To lampoon Shadwell, Dryden employs the form of the mock epic. He uses the metaphor of kingship and succession, but inverts notions of heroism associated with the exploits of the prince to describe the epic proportions of his dullness and stupidity. It does this to magnify the mediocrity of  his work. It uses notions of lineage to speak of Shadwell as the inheritor of a lowly and artless poetic legacy. Through parallels with heroes of the past, the absolutely unheroic qualities of the mock-hero become even more pronounced. Dryden also uses opposing parallels simultaneously to indicate  the nonsensical nature of Shadwell/MacFlecknoe’s status as heir-apparent of the realm of low art. For example, he simultaneously compares him to Ascanius  that is, to the figure of monarchical authority as well as the enemy to Hannibal – the enemy of the State that Ascanius  is supposed  to protect. By implication, then, Shadwell is a threat to the very realm of art which he is supposed to rule. These contradictions make it a realm of artistic meaninglessness. Joseph Addison, an early eighteenth century critic, explains that Dryden’s own definition of wit is â€Å"propriety of words and thoughts adapted to the subject† (Norton Anthology 2497). Although this definition is wide enough to encompass a variety of literature, one can assume through his criticism of Shadwell that unspecified rules for propriety existed in Dryden’s consciousness. As such, the challenge of exhibiting â€Å"true wit† would not have been taken lightly. Political circumstances of the late seventeenth century gave Dryden plenty of material for writing satirical verse. According to the Penguin Dictionary, this time period between the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century is widely identified as the â€Å"golden age of satire† (783). As many other poets of his time, Dryden’s writings reflect the societal differences shaped during and after the Glorious Revolution. Thomas H. Fujimura, twentieth century Dryden critic, examines the historical context for Dryden’s work in his article, â€Å"The Personal Element in Dryden’s Poetry. Political and religious controversy saturated late seventeenth century England, and Dryden could not be immune from the turmoil surrounding him. Mac Flecknoe deals with public themes, such as carnival and prophecy, one may deduce that he intended literature to relate to community issues. Barbara M. Benedict, Trinity College professor of English literature, declares: â €Å"Dryden exemplifies the fusion of high and low culture† (659). Dryden’s classic epic form relates to local events, demonstrating his response to Britain’s changing literary culture. Like a prophet, Dryden presents literary truths for all people and warns of impending doom, if Shadwell continues to â€Å"rule† and promote poor-quality literature. CONCLUSION MacFlecknoe does engage in part in a discussion on what consists of bad literature, and thus, by corollary, arrives at a sort of definition of good literature in its discussion on the Humours versus Wit and the relation of  Art to Nature, but most often betrays personal prejudices against the origins and beliefs of his rival poet Shadwell and uses these against him, offering many clear instances of lampooning.  MacFlecknoe is a satiric poem which becomes the corner-stone of Dryden success in his poetic career. It strengthened his position as a successful poet in his lifetime. Both as a poem and a satire MacFlecknoe.

Stephen King Movies and TV Shows

Stephen King Movies and TV Shows Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors alive, but he is just as well known for the  movies and adaptations made from his books and stories as for his writing. Use this list of Kings movies, short films and TV shows to find out if your favorite book has been adapted to the screen or to find new King movies to enjoy. The Early Years: Kings First Movies Although King wrote a column for his high school newspaper and short stories to augment his income after he graduated from college in 1966, it wasnt until 1971, when he took a job teaching high school English classes at a public high school in Maine, that he had the time write in evenings and on weekends on his first novels. In the spring of 1973, Carrie was accepted for publication and its subsequent major paperback sale provided him with the means to leave teaching and write full-time. Shortly afterward, he began work on Salems Lot. In time, both would become movies, and Steven Kings prolific career was off and running. 1976 - Carrie1979 - Salems Lot 1980-1989: Bestsellers and Pseudonyms In the 80s, King put his college dramatic society experience to use making cameo appearances in adaptations of his work. He first appeared in Creepshow in 1982 and made his directorial debut with  the movie Maximum Overdrive, an adaptation of his short story Trucks in 1985. He continued to turn out bestseller after bestseller, many of which were eventually made into big-screen films. King tested his success in the 80s by writing several short novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. They included The Running Man in 1982 and Thinner in 1984. After he was outed as the true author, he announced the death of Bachman. 1980 - The Shining1982 - Creepshow -  Five short films: Fathers Day, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, Something to Tide You Over, The Crate and Theyre Creeping Up On You)1982 - The Boogeyman (short film)1983 - Cujo1983 - The Dead Zone1983 - Christine1983 - Disciples of the Crow (short film)1983 - The Woman in the Room (short film)1984 - Children of the Corn1984 - Firestarter1985 - Cats Eye (Three short films: Quitters, Inc., The Ledge, and The General)1985 - Silver Bullet1985 - Stephen Kings Nightshift Collection (Two short films: The Woman in the Room and The Boogeyman)1985 - Word Processor of the Gods (episode of Tales from the Darkside)1986 - Gramma (episode of The Twilight Zone)1986 - Maximum Overdrive1986 - Stand By Me1987 - Creepshow 2 (Three short films: Old Chief Woodnhead, The Raft, and The Hitchhiker)1987 - A Return to Salems Lot1987 - The Running Man1987 - The Last Rung on the Ladder (short film)1987 - Sorry, Right Number (episode of Tales from the Darkside) 1989 - Pet Sematary 1990-1999: A Decade of Classics The adaptations of Kings works during this decade is a list of horror classics, familiar to just about anyone interested in the horror,  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹fantasy and science fiction genres. 1990 - The Cat From Hell (short film)1990 - Graveyard Shift1990 - It (TV mini-series)1990 - Misery1990 - The Moving Finger (Monsters episode)1991 - Golden Years (TV miniseries)1991 - Sometimes They Come Back1992 - Sleepwalkers1993 - The Dark Half1993 - Needful Things1993 - The Tommyknockers (miniseries)1993 - Chinga (episode of The X-files)1994 - The Shawshank Redemption1994 - The Stand (miniseries)1995 - The Langoliers (miniseries)1995 - The Mangler1995 - Dolores Claiborne1995 - Stephen Kings Nightshift Collection1996 - Thinner1997 - The Shining (TV miniseries)1997 - Ghosts (music video)1997 - The Night Flier (HBO Movie)1997 - Quicksilver Highway (segment Chattery Teeth)1997 - Trucks (TV Remake of Maximum Overdrive)1998 - Apt Pupil1999 - The Green Mile1999 - The Rage: Carrie 21999 - Storm of the Century (TV miniseries)1999 - Llamadas (short film) 2000-2009: Expanding the Boundaries In 2000, King published an online serialized horror novel, The Plant, which he eventually abandoned. The same year, he wrote his first digital novella Riding the Bullet and predicted  the coming popularity of e-books. In 2003, he wrote a column for Entertainment Weekly. By 2007, Marvel Comics was publishing comic books based on Kings Dark Tower series. In 2009, he published Ur, a novella written for the launch of the 2nd generation Kindle reader. Following a serious accident in 2002, King took a lengthy break from writing. 2000 - Paranoid  (short film)2001 - Hearts in Atlantis2001 - Strawberry Spring (short film)2002 - Rose Red (TV miniseries)2002 - The Dead Zone (TV Series)2002 - Night Surf (short film)2002 - Rainy Season (short film)2002 - Carrie (TV movie remake)2003 - Dreamcatcher2003 - The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (TV movie)2003 - Autopsy Room Four (short film)2003 - Here There Be Tygers (short film)2003 - The Man in the Black Suit (short film)2004 - Secret Window2004 - Kingdom Hospital (TV series)2004 - Salems Lot (TV miniseries)2004 - Luckey Quarter (short film)2004 - The Secret Transit Codes of Americas Highways (short film)2004 - All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (short film)2004 - Riding the Bullet2005 - I Know What You Need (short film)2006 - Desperation (TV miniseries)2006 - Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the stories of Stephen King2006 - Suffer the Little Children (short film)2007 - 14082007 -2007 - No Smoking (Bollywood movie)2009 - Dolans Cadillac 2010 to Present:  TV  and Awards With a Return to the Big Screen King received many awards throughout his career, and the decade beginning with 2010 continued the trend, bringing him three Bram Stoker Awards, the Edgar Award for Best Novel for Mr. Mercedes, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for 11/22/63,   The Mystery Writers of American Grand Master Award in 2007, The National Book Award Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2003 and the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004, among others. The decade saw many King works in short films, TV series and miniseries. Toward the end of this time, his work was again dominating the big screen. 2010 - The Haven (TV series based on the characters from The Colorado Kid)2011 - In the Deathroom (short film)2011 - Survivor Type (short film)2011 - That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French (short film)2011 - The Things They Left Behind (short film)2011 - Everythings Eventual (Dollar Baby short film)2011 - Message from Jerusalem (short film)2011 - One for the Road (short film)2011 - Bag of Bones (TV miniseries)2012 - Love Never Dies (short film)2012 - Willa (short film)2012 - Survivor Type (short film)2012 - Maxwell Edison (short film based on The Man Who Loved Flowers)2012 - The Man Who Loved Flowers (short film)2012 - Stephen Kings The Boogeyman (short film)2012 - Grey Matter (short film)2012 - A Very Tight Place (short film)2012 - Popsy (short film)2013 - The Reapers Image (based on a short story)2013 - Under the Dome (TV series)2013 - Cain Rose Up2013 - Willa2013 - Here There May Be Tygers (short film)2013 - In the Deathroom (short film)2013 - The Boogeyman (short fil m) 2013 - Carrie2013 - Under the Dome (TV series based on the novel from 2009)2014 - A Good Marriage2014 - Mercy2014 - Big Driver (TV movie based on 2010 novella)2016 - Cell2016 - 11.22.63 (Hulu original programming based on 2011 novel)2017 - The Dark Tower2017 - It (Part 1)2017 - Children of the Corn: Runaway2017 - Geralds Game2017 - The Mist (TV series)2018 - Mr. Mercedes (TV series)2018 - The Dark Tower (TV series)

Leave a Message

Leave a Message What are the most important things in your life? Nowadays, whatever you are going to tell about – your life, celebrities’ private life, politics, literature or a notice of the day – may take you not more than 140 symbols, and #twitter proves it perfectly. We can more or less easily describe ourselves in 4 words, find our 3 top best features or 2 things we hate about people and choose one dream to come true†¦ Recently different funny twitter marathons became popular like #ReplaceALetterRuinATvShow or #RuinAWeddingIn5Words. They were full of creativity and fun.  IMHO such limits teach us to think and to pick catchy words from our vocabulary to express what we want and make other people pay attention to our voices, to listen to us, to follow us and, hopefully, re-tweet us. The same with the famous #elevatorpitch: imagine you were dreaming to realize the project of your life and only one person can help you, but it is so difficult to reach him or her. Suddenly you meet this person in the elevator (finally!) and you have an opportunity to attract him or her with your fabulous idea: take a chance but you have only one minute.  It reminded one story I have read once on the Internet about one professor and his stuffed jar: Practice What You Preach â€Å"The professor walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the table. He puts 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and they agree it is. Then, he pulls out a pile of beans, adding them to the jar, shaking it slightly until they fill the spaces between the rocks. He asks again if the jar is full, and they agree. So next, he adds a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the beans and asks the question again. Then he grabs a pitcher of water and fills the jar to the brim, saying, â€Å"If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?†. Then he looks out at the class and says, â€Å"The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your family, your partner, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams. The beans are the other things in your life that give it meaning, like your job, your house, your hobbies, your friendships. The sand and water represent the ‘small stuff’ that fills our time. Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the beans?†Ã‚  It is very important to remember about BIG things and find proper words to leave your message to the world.   The popularity of #socialmedia makes me think of the power of a letter, the power of each word. How careful we have to be with our expressions, sayings, posts and tweets living during the time when a word is a weapon and the Internet is an information battlefield.

Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 - Term Paper Example airports, trying to avoid the irrational industry absorption that would eventually lead to increase in prices along with reduction in services, and encouraging the entry of airlines into newer markets thereby strengthening the services of the small air carriers as well. Several restrictions on airline operations were removed as part of the Act. Restrictions on domestic routes and new services were eliminated completely with complete end of the domestic fare regulation. These changes had been quite rapid in process (Airline Deregulation Legislation Act 1978, n.d.). The present study has considered learning on the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 discussion on the effects of regulation and deregulation and what is still being regulated in the industry. The deregulation of the airline industry had begun in the year 1979. Before that, the Civil Aeronautics Board had control over both the routes that airlines took off as well as the prices of the ticket that were charged, where the major goal of the Board was to serve the interest of the public. As the deregulation initiated, airlines that were nationally owned and could be considered as robust, prepared, and competent by the Department of Transportation (DOT) were allowed to fly on any domestic route. The principal regulatory responsibility of the DOT altered from supporting an airline’s operations for the interest of the public to making decisions whether an airline was operating in harmony with the standards of safety and other processes of operations (Competition and Regulation in the Airline Industry, 2002, p.1). From the time when the deregulation started in 1979, the airline industry in U.S. has been obtained to have grown enormously. A growth of around 225 percent was experienced by the country over this period of time. On the other hand, Canada, where airline industry was deregulated later and encountered lesser competition than the United States, experienced a lesser growth rate of 80 percent. Thus, it

Personal journal entry 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal journal entry 5 - Essay Example Feminist theory argues that legal positivism is the main reason women have been dominated by men in the past. The theory argues that the law has been written historically baymen to favor the position of men over women. ïÆ'Ëœ Women should be given genuine equality with men in all areas of life as opposed to the current provisions by the law. This is in direct opposition to legal positivism. A good example is the 19th amendment to the USA constitution which gives equal rights to voting for both women and men3. The feminist theory fights for the recognition of the differences between the two sexes as opposed to the sameness that are advocated by the legal positivism. The feminist theory argues that, it is until the law acknowledges the differences between men and women, that it can bring equality between them4. In conclusion, presently, the position of women is much better than it was five decades ago. The effort of the feminist movements has ensured that women achieved considerable progress in the campaign. The position of women in today’s society can be attributed to a large percentage, to the changes in the legislation that have happened over the

Love and Hate in James Cains Mildred Pierce :: Cain Mildred Pierce Essays

Love and Hate in James Cain's Mildred Pierce      Ã‚  Ã‚   Some may say that the character Mildred Pierce of the novel, Mildred   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pierce by James Cain, may be a good role model for an entrepreneur or a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   single working mother.   Some may say that she was hopelessly devoted to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   her ungrateful daughter, Veda.   Some may also argue that Veda was a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   terrible daughter who lacked compassion, sincerity, and most of all,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   respect.   As true as that may all be, the candlelight glowing about the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   flawless, sugar-coated heroine shall be blown out.   Fluorescent lights,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   please.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mildred Pierce loved her daughter.   Perhaps she had loved Veda too   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   much.   One questions how a woman can love such a bitch - a coloratura   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   soprano.   Could it have been another type of love?   Mildred had an   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   exaggerated sense of self-importance.   She felt the need for attention and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   admiration from others, particularly Veda.   Mildred Pierce took people for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   granted or exploited them with an unusual coolness.   Had Mildred Pierce   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   been a real person, and ever introduced to Sigmund Freud, the verdict   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   would be in.   Mildred Pierce suffers from Narcissism.   Another kind of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   love, indeed!   She simply had fallen in love with her reflection (as the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   disorder was named for the mythological Narcissus, who fell in love with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   his own reflection) - Veda Pierce, that is.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1991, Sophie Freud, granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, explained that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the narcissistic mother has a great investment in her daughters.   The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   survival of women greatly depends on loving, and whether she is loved.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Narcissistic actions are ambivalent.   "In order to develop into a woman   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  [the narcissist mother believes] a daughter needs sufficient libidinal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   resources to identify with her female partner [mother]..." (Fenchel).     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mildred Pierce fits the description.   That must explain the sensual vibes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   - but unfortunately Veda was not the type of daughter to want to identify   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with her mother.   Mildred's character ached for approval from Veda.

In my military life I have learned about aspects of other cultures Essay

A military career is not only a way to apply one’s potential toward the noble cause of defending people; for me it was also a chance to travel and to expand my knowledge of other cultures and nations. I have a twenty-year military career to look back upon. During this time I was three times deployed to Iraq, once to Bosnia, and visited Japan for six week field exercise. This, in my opinion, is an impressive record of dealing with other cultures due to diversity of these nations and their relative difference from the US. These cultures were indeed very different. One reason may be the fact that they are located at such a distance from each other and my homeland that it seems that during travels you are spanning a huge distance and land in another world. Indeed, the Southern European setting of Bosnia is very different from Iraqi deserts and the cluttered Japanese landscape. Most of all, however, I was impressed with differences in lifestyles, attitudes and different aspects of culture that I had to deal with. I realized quite often how individualistic our culture really is, with every person defending one’s own point of view, without fear that others may disagree. In Japan, for instance, I often saw that people are not willing to impose their individual ideas. Instead, they are more willing to draw on the ideas and perceptions of the group they belong to. In fact, they always seem to have this feeling of a group in the background that stands ready to support them, a quality that even made me envious of them at times. I think it is very useful for a person to see how people in different cultures perceive individualism, or â€Å"the importance of the individual as compared with collective goals and efforts† (Couto, Cabral 2004). At the same time, I found it frustrating at times how the Japanese tend to treat Westerners as outsiders. As one gets to know them more closely, one learns that their society, too, is composed of â€Å"many groups and sub-groups — and not always in perfect harmony and cooperation as it may look on the surface† (â€Å"Culture Schock 101†). One learns that there is often a division of ‘them† and â€Å"us† between the Japanese and the arrivals, so that one can spend a lot of time there without getting close to the natives. I think there is no reason to get frustrated about it just as there is little reason to be frustrated about people being different from us altogether. Acceptance helps good relations and can often overcome differences since ultimately it is not similarity, but mutual sympathy and liking that matters in human interaction. Quite a few times, I had misunderstandings with our Japanese counterparts, like, for instance, invitations to dinner that people in Japan do not really intend to make. I several times fell for these invitations only to find out later that they meant simply an invitation to good cooperation. It took me a while to realize that people make these invitations to promote the general air of harmony in relationships. I later found out how important harmony is to the Japanese and began to avoid actions that could disrupt it. When we were in Iraq, this was surely different from Japan, partly because of the political aspects, and partly because Arab culture and in particular Iraqi culture is so different. I think my first surprise was the food that proved to be something in my taste, so that I learned a couple of recipes and brought them back to the US. Then another thing that captured my eye was all the material culture they had, like ancient artefacts and modern things that are so elaborate, elegant and at the same time bright and eye-catching. Then one more thing that soon becomes obvious is the importance of religion to the Iraqi people who think in Islamic terms about their daily happenings so that their whole philosophy is inextricably linked to their religion and its doctrine. In the US it often feels as if people leave their faith behind the doors of the church when they leave the Sunday service, but in Iraq they are committed to thinking about faith on a daily basis. It is like a glass through which they see the world, thinking about it in terms of what Islam wants them to do. I think a great part of learning about other cultures and their peculiar traits is that you get a more complete picture of your own background, putting it in context. Things that seemed natural and obvious begin to look different because now you have a chance to assess them from a different viewpoint. I recently came upon the article that talks about US culture as promoting â€Å"the behavior of women like drunken, sexually aroused yobs as a way for them to â€Å"be one of the guys†, a way for them to be funny and â€Å"with it† and cool† (Faisal 2003). Without having been there, I would probably feel hurt by this description. Now, in contrast, knowing the way of life people live over there I can understand how our world might look to them. Indeed, it is often hard to bridge the gap between cultures, but with a bit of common sense a person can make it, once one realizes that many values are vastly different across the globe. As for Bosnia, I was pleased to find out that in this relatively poor area people are so hospitable and sociable. I think that Bosnia, too, has a collectivist culture, but it is one that is relatively easy for foreigners to penetrate. I enjoyed seeing the neighborhood networks that are so well-developed in their culture and how people get together in locales called kafane and kafici. I also had time to realize that it is not in fact a homogeneous culture but one that includes great diversity, including divisions between Muslims and Christians. I believe that my background allows me to realize many cultural issues that would otherwise have escaped my attention. Dealing with individuals coming from other cultures on a daily basis allows insights into deep-seated cultural values and assumptions. At the same time, presence in the country acquainted me with material aspects of other cultures. For someone new in the culture, even ordering dishes in a local cafe can be a problem since one does not know what to choose. However, as one gets hold on daily happenings, one is ready for realization of more complex things. Bibliography Couto, Joao Pedro, & Vieira, Jose Cabral. â€Å"National Culture and Research and Development Activities. † Multinational Business Review (Spring 2004). 26 Nov. 05 . â€Å"Culture Shock 101. Japanese Culture — A Primer For Newcomers. † 26 Nov. 05 . Faisal, Amr Al. Raunchy Sexy Things. 2003. 26 Nov. 05 .