Richard IIIs Battle speech Essay Example for Free

Richard IIIs Battle speech Essay Question a) Examine the literary elements such as diction, symbolism, rhythm, and tone in this extract, and analyze their significance. b) Then, examine how this extract is translated onto film, paying close attention to the ways in which the film adaptations by Laurence Olivier and Al Pacino enhance/ modify your understanding of the play text. Answer a) The extract passage from Shakespeares Richard III depicts how King Richard gives his battle speech to his army, focusing on the raggedness of Richmonds army and their opposition to him as a King. The extract passage is right after King Richard had a dream where the ghosts of all the people he had killed spoke and condemns him. I will be analyzing extract passage from the play, commenting on theme, settings, diction, symbolism, rhythm and tone. In part (b), I will be analyzing the film adaptations of Olivier and Al Pacino on this particular extract, commenting on how each director interpret the extract passage, particularly on the Mise-en-scene of each film adaptation. As Richard was giving his oration to the army, there is structural irony in his speech. It is an irony that he tells his army they having lands, and blest with beauteous wives, Richmonds army will restrain the one, distain the other because in the first place, Richard and the other Yorkists were the ones who killed Henry IV and overthrew the Lancasters who were ruling then. Another irony is that he was the one who uses the power of language to manipulate and seduce Lady Anne, stealing the beauteous wife of Henry IV first. Such irony is engaged by Shakespeare to emphasize one of the themes of the play which is the allure of evil. Richard III does not explore the cause of evil in the human mind so much as it explores its operation, depicting the workings of Richards mind and the methods he uses to manipulate, control, and injure others for his own gain. Another literary device Shakespeare used in this play is the rhyming couplet: March on, join bravely, let us tot pell-mell/ If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell. In Shakespeares poem, the rhyming couplet has an important significant. We see Richard, after this extract passage, obsessed with his own self-preservation, as indicated by his cry of [a] horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!. Richard clearly reveals his priorities. He would trade everything for a horse on which to improve his chances of surviving the battle rather than die honorably for his cause and this is contradicting his prior speech to the army. Richard III is written in blank verse. Blank verse is unrhymed lines made up of ten syllables in which every second syllable is stressed (study unit 1 pg 26). The rhythms of the verses are caused by these unrhymed iambic pentameters Shakespeare uses. Iambic pentameter is a line made up of five pairs of short/long, or unstressed/stressed, syllables. For example: de-VISED at-FIRST to-KEEP the-STRONG in-AWE. This gives the verses rhythm and makes the verses interesting to read. The tone of the extract passage is strong. There are uses of exclamation marks, for example: Off with his son Georges head! to show the wrath of Richard. Richard also poses questions. For example: Shall these enjoy our lands? Lie with our wives?. Questions can engage the viewers, making the viewers enter his thinking. The lines are also kept within ten syllabus and the words are short so that it will produce a more punchy effect as it is being read out. The short words and rhythmic tone in turns make the diction of the extract clear too. b) In Pacinos film adaptation of extract passage of Richard III, Richard was filmed giving the oration to his army. When examining the cinematic space of the film, the camera shot from a very low angle as Richard was giving the oration. Richard is in the foreground and this makes him look very much bigger. Since it is shot from a low angle up to Richard, Richard seems to be looking down on everyone as he is speaking, emphasizing his power and authority. His oration is quite long and this emphasizes the power of language in achieving political powers, which is one of the central themes to Richard III. Language may not always be a necessary instrument of power, but for Richard, it is a crucial weapon. His extraordinary skill with words enables him to manipulate, confuse, and control those around him. In this case, Pacino is trying to show us that Richards words are powerful and he uses them to control his army. Also, as they shot from the low angle, it depicts the round, bird-like silhouette of Richard, emphasizing on his deformity even more. His deformed body is a symbol of corrupted nature and Pacino make the viewers see that. Richard was the only one being filmed when he was giving the oration. He is in power, but he is alone: his brothers, nephews, and even his own wife are all dead at his hand, his mother has cursed and abandoned him, and even the person who was once his closest friend-Buckingham-has been sent to execution. His army was also not in the frame. Pacino probably wants to emphasize the fact that his army is not actually with him. His army served him not out of respect and loyalty but because they were afraid of him since he constantly beheads anyone who comes into his path. In this film of the extract passage, it vividly dramatizes the contrast between Richards character and Richmonds character, shifting the scene back and forth between them a few times. The leaders, in their respective camps, make almost identical preparations as they ready for the next days battle, but the difference between them can be seen in the way they go about their business. Richard speaks brusquely to his lords, and, as we can see, essentially is isolated from all human contact. Pacino made Richmond appeared gracious. The pre-battle preparation of the two leaders clearly shows their different styles: Richmond was filmed praying to God. In contrast, Richard simply mocks the enemy soldiers, calling them a scum of Bretons and base lackey peasants Looking for Richard is a documentary film and for this scene, Richard is actually not dressed in the medieval costume. It is more like a rehearsal. This suggests Pacinos search for the most effective way to bring the world of King Richard to life for a contemporary audience. It also points to their conviction that Shakespeares characters and themes are timeless: Everyone can look for Richard, and find him, in the world around them. In Oliviers film adaptation of the extract passage Richard III, Richard was not filmed giving the long oration to his army. Instead, the viewers were treated to a battle to watch. The film adaptation was very much close to Shakespeares play. Olivier spoke with rhythm as Richard addresses his army. As he spoke March on, the army shouted a hail as a reply. After he spoke the rhyming couplet: pell-mell and to hell, he leads his army forward on his horse. It was dramatic as he was about to go to the battle. The film was in technicolour and this probably appeals to the viewers at that time. With the technicolour used, the viewers were able to see vividly the colour of their medieval costumes and this makes the whole film real and engaging. The scene of the film was a long shot. There was not much editing done. Spatially, it was shot from afar so that both the army and Richard can be seen. There was not much close up shot except for when Richard has fallen off the horse and his crown rolled away. This foreshadows Richards dethroning. In conclusion, the literary elements such as rhythm, diction, tone, settings, symbolism and themes compliments each other, making Shakespeares play a classic read all time. Both Pacinos and Oliviers film adaptation of Richard III provides viewers with different interpretation of the play, widening the viewers perspective of the play. Bibliography ELT370 Shakespeare on film study guide. SIM University. 2011 Looking For Richard. Dir. Al Pacino. Perf. Al Pacino, Vincent Angell, Harris Yulin, Alec Baldwin. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1996. Film.

Charlotte Bronte Critiques Victorian Culture in Jane Eyre Essay

â€Å"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.† Mary Shelley, in addition to the direct interpretation, suggests with this declaration that not only are humans resistant to and resentful of change, but so too are the societies in which they live, especially when the social order is directly challenged. This natural tendency causes change to occur slowly in societies after years of different ‘radicals’ pushing for transformation. Their critiques, especially in the beginning, are received with scorn and contempt. It takes a unique voice to covertly instill some of the contentious messages in the mind of the general public. Charlotte Brontà «, through her telling Jane’s life story, conveys controversial concepts about Victorian Society in an acceptable way. She illustrates her scorn for the rigid class structure, her disillusionment with devout religious ideals, and her belief that women deserve more rights than what they ar e allocated in her society. Brontà « also contends that Victorian values of money and superficial beauty over love and mortality are innately incorrect. She is able to disparage her society’s values because of her subtle style of stressing her own ideals. In the Victorian era, social mobility was rarely possible and those belonging to inferior classes were not valued. Brontà « makes Jane an advocate for the acceptance of other classes and of social mobility by giving Jane an ambiguous social standing. She comes from a good family, is well-educated, yet for most of the novel she is a poor orphan. She acts subserviently towards Rochester and St. John, yet will not blindly follow their wishes or fold to their commands – she will only â€Å"obey [Rochester] in all that is right†. This, along wit... ...als reasons for women’s equality and for why she believes love and morality should be valued over superficial Victorian values of beauty, wealth and social status. Brontà « truly makes her critiques of Victorian culture effective by covertly integrating them into her novel through her female protagonist, Jane. Works Cited Bossche, Chris R. Vanden. "What did Jane Eyre do? Ideology, agency, class and the novel." Narrative 13.1 (2005): 46+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Brontà «, Charlotte, and Arthur Zeiger. Jane Eyre. New York: New American Library, 1982. Print. Kaplan, Carla. "Girl Talk: Jane Eyre and the Romance of Women's Narration." Novel: A Forum on Fiction 30.1 (Fall 1996): 5-31. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Kathy D. Darrow. Vol. 217. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Defining Marriage

Defining Marriage Words are a part of everyday life. Without them people would have a very hard time conveying a message or showing their feelings to the people around them. Words also provide the groundwork on how we interpret what is expectable and what is not. Although only eight letters, the word marriage carries a lot of meaning for millions of people across the world. Depending on who ask, they might also have a definition of what they think marriage means. I myself define a marriage as a formal relationship between a man and a woman that last until death.The Merriam Webster dictionary on the other hand would define marriage as â€Å"the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. † On the other hand, thousands of men and women are set out to redefine marriage to also include same sex relationships as well. For myself and I’m sure millions of others across the world they do not think that a simple definition can confine someone from living in a regular recognized marriage like everyone else.How we define a particular word can have lasting effects and for the gay and lesbian community restricting them from the same basic rights that everyday couples take advantage of. In this exploratory essay I am dedicated to exploring the contested term â€Å"marriage† between the gay and lesbian community and many other people that have their own definition of marriage as well. Because the age we live in now, the commonly accepted definition of marriage between a man and a woman is keeping tens of thousands of same-sex couples by being federally recognized in a union.So what is marriage and why does it matter how people define it? I first started with Peter Pothan who wrote an article called â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage†. Pothan is a theological teacher and is currently the Assistant Director of the Distance Learning Department of Souther n Asia Bible College in Bangalore. He wastes no time clearly stating that he gets the definition of marriage from the bible. By referencing different parts of the Bible he is able to define what a Christian Marriage is and additional context as well. The first section that he references from the Bible is in Genesis 2:24.It states, â€Å"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. † By this Pathan concludes that a Marriage is between one man and one woman. Although he breaks the verse down into four parts, for this exploratory essay I want to focus the marriage portion on which I am better trying to understand. During Gods initial creation he only created one wife for Adam. Pothan uses this as a backbone that it is not only a relationship between a man and a woman, but it is also a monogamous relationship that must be maintained as well.Additionally, he uses biblical context to further go to say that marriage is only per manent as long as life last. Overall, Peter Pothan does not try to impose this Christian definition of marriage onto anyone, but merely uses evidence from the Bible to extract the definition of marriage. Several times during the article he consistently uses the Christian definition of marriage evoking that he is clearly not trying to impose a singular definition for the word. As a Christian myself I did find how he defined marriage very persuasive.He put very little opinion into interpreting what the Bible was saying and just tried to state the facts. I feel that most Christians would have a hard time disagreeing with what Pothan has to say. I also like he was not trying to impose the definition on anyone. Several times throughout the article he consistently use â€Å"Christian Marriage†. By this I felt that he clearly recognized that there is a dispute between what the definition of marriage truly is. On the other hand, I can also see one big hole is this definition. Althoug h the Bible is very widely used and accepted across the world not everyone is a Christian.Many of those who are not of the Christians faith can easily discredit this definition. Just like many words over time they can slowly evolve and continue to mean more things. It would only make sense to some that the definition of marriage would do the same as well. Many gays and lesbians would also clearly have a hard time accepting this as a definition of marriage. To them this would imply that they are not capable of leaving their mothers and fathers and cleaving to their partner. Overall, I am still very much caught in the crossfire of what marriage should or should not include.By going with the Christian definition of marriage I am essentially supporting the idea of taking away freedoms that many same-sex couple are not able to enjoy like regular couples. This I have a hard time accepting. My next article, â€Å"GOP’s Rob Portman announces support for same-sex marriage† by M atthew DeLuca is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it views the definition of marriage. Matthey Deluca, a writer for NBC News writes about Rob Portman’s view on marriage. The Ohio Senator Portman’s once hard stance that marriage is defined as a between a man and a women now has a change of views.At one point he even supported the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which limits marriage specifically to one man and one woman. In this article, the Ohio Senator states that â€Å"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married. † He describes his change of views based on his 21-year-old son. In a talk with his son in 2011, his son, Will, told his father that he was gay.Portman not only said that his change of heart was due to his son, but also his Christian faith. He says the message of love and c ompassion from the Bible is also what swayed him to change his mind on this particular issue. This article shows how the definition of marriage can be based on equal rights that many feel everyone should have. As a result, the definition of marriage would have to be extended. Looking at this article, I feel somewhat drawn into Senator Portman’s view of marriage and how the definition should evolve to reflect the culture of America.It is more than just about a definition, but a way to make everyone equal under the law. With the way marriage is right now that is not possible. Same-sex couples that want to take the next step to a recognized marriage are not given the same rights that others couples receive. Portman, a Christian like myself, did choose to take a different angle on how he looks at the Bible. That just goes to show that there are people that are Christians that also support same-sex marriages and essentially want to change the definition of marriage to reflect a gr eater assortment of couples wanted to seek a civil union.Although I do understand where Senator is coming from I can’t say I fully agree that you can just change the definition of a word because of personal experience that was experienced. My last source I chose was an article called â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality† by Reginald William. This scholarly source was published on December 21, 2010. Williams is an affiliate of Bakersfield College that contests the views that many have that same-sex marriage is not an equal rights issue. I came across this article using the University of Oklahoma online library.William talks about several individuals and their views in particular that same-sex marriage is a not an equality issue. He describes that many claim this because both heterosexuals and homosexuals are not allowed to get married to the same gender. They are on the other hand â€Å"both† allowed to marry someone of the opposite sex. Williams describes this i dea as a basis for many that say this is not an equality issue. William on the other hand disagrees and fully thinks this is still very much about the lack of equality and supports same-sex marriage.Throughout his article he goes into painstaking detail to support his claim. In short, he says although the same rights are available to everyone, the rights available are only truly for heterosexuals couples. Although his claim is somewhat hard to grasp, I feel he overall makes some very important points that support the fact that there is a lack a social equality for same-sex couples. The question that is of real concern though is should this constitute us to redefine the term marriage so that same-sex couples can get married and be federally recognized.I have definitely learned that the definition of marriage matters greatly to the people you ask and it is more than a word that is used in a sentence. It not only has a strong definition that lasted through time, but as of right now is keeping many same-sex couples from being able to be apart of a civil union recognized by our government. Reviewing all of these sources and really letting the point the writers have sink in has made me consider many thoughts that I have not considered before.Although I do strongly believe that the definition of marriage should not change, I do feel that the people affected by the definition of marriage, such as same-sex couples, should have the same rights as a regular marriage if they choose. To me this is not about definitions at all by equal rights. Although I am sure many same-sex couples would like to be included in the definition of marriage, what they really want is to have the same benefits in their relationship as a heterosexual couple does.Even though many states have already started this journey for same-sex couples they are still far from putting them on the same playing field as a traditional definition of marriage and the rights they receive at the federal level. Work Cited Williams, Reginald. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality. † Ethical Theory and Moral Practice14. 5 (2011): 589-95. Web. DeLuca, Matthew. â€Å"GOP's Rob Portman Announces Support for Same-sex Marriage. † NBCNews. N. p. , 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Pothan, Peters S. â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage. † 2miles. org. N. p. , Sept. 2009. Web. 21Mar. 2013.

The Inequality Of Poverty And Poverty - 1558 Words

Why is it that the people in poverty have such a tough time getting out of it? â€Å"Income inequality in the United States is higher than in any other advanced industrial democracy† (Lieberman). In America the poverty gap is continuously increasing throughout the years and no sense of progression is being shown. People in poverty are finding it harder every year to escape their low economic stage . When it comes to poverty it does not mean just having a low income it is a â€Å"condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support† (Dictionary.com). It is a state of being that the public sometimes have no choice of being in. People born into or living in communities of poverty are extremely isolated from the rest of America that they do not know what is available for them because of the lack of knowledge. Some of the reasons why people in poverty find it so difficult to break free are because of their mentality, being isolated from the rest of the country and lack of education. First lets identify the reason why there is such a numerous amount of people in poverty. Recorded data demonstrates that â€Å"15.1 percent— just over 46 million Americans— were officially in poverty in 2010 [, which ]... is an increase from 12.5 percent in 2007†(State of Working America). Also â€Å"The average unemployment rate rose from 4.6 percent in 2007 to 9.3 percent in 2009 and 9.6 percent in 2010† (TRISI, SHERMAN AND BROADDUS). What this data clearly represents is an increase of poverty rate inShow MoreRelatedPoverty Inequality And Poverty And Inequality875 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant concepts which are poverty and inequality. 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