Review Answers On Contemporary Drama Essay Example for Free

Review Answers On Contemporary Drama Essay With the many plays present and available, the tile of this particular contemporary play caught me since it was very unusual, and I wanted to know whether it was alluding to a deeper metaphorical meaning or just a play with a different contextual meaning—like a satire of some sort as to what George Orwell did in Animal Farm. Moreover, the title seems intriguing—this is brought on by the visual impact of the Dead Rats since it is both gory and gruesome. 2) Review the playwright’s literary elements: a. Provide a plot summary. The summary of the play is unusual since it itself does not seem to follow a normal plot pattern or any plot at all. The play instead is in the format of a â€Å"stream of consciousness† wherein there is a jumping of characters, themes, and motif. Just as the plot was making sense or beginning to make a point, it shifts to different characters and stories. But I believe that that is mainly the point or summary of the plot—the voices or the many characters in the mind of a person which shifts immediately and suddenly without warning. There seem to be so many characters, but they have no common factor, and yet they are connected somehow. b. Identify the genre. How do you know? It is hard to identify the genre of the play, but it can be considered as a psychological contemporary play. This is for the reason that the play seems to happen inside the mind and yet not entirely in it. There are allusions of the psychological treatment from the very start of the play—from the voices which the man is hearing to the presence of Dr. Green or School Master Green who is treating a patient by the name of Mary or Marie with multiple personalities or multiple interpretations of reality and fantasy. The entire play itself is confusing since it keeps shifting and turning with the characters and the mention of either the mentally disturbed or the dead. c. What is the theme? The theme is most exemplified at the end of the play wherein the dead character by the name of Ann tells the audience that â€Å"she continues†: Everything continues, and I will continue. I can see right through your silence, right through into your mind, deep inside behind your face, way back, where you really think, and I know just how hard it is, how hard the pain hits you, but look at me, hear me. I continue. After the lights go down, I continue. (Knag, 2009, n. p. ) The whole play is about the inner realms of thinking and of the mind; that is to say, just because someone is dead or not there anymore does not mean they cease to exist—because everyone continues. d. Is there spectacle present in the play? If so, how did it affect your reading of the play? There are a lot of spectacles present in the play, like the outbursts of the emotions of the characters or the killing of the Little Waif character also known as Marie or Mary. These so-called spectacles made me more interested with the play and made me want to find out what is happening and what was going on. 3) If you could change any part of the plot in your selected play, what would you amend? I think the author, Paul Knag, already did a fine job with the play. Even if the play is very confusing, startling, and gruesome, it was very well-written and intriguing to the point that the reader is made breathless with the drama and action going on. However, there are some points which I would want to change. For instance, it seems that are too many scene changes and props needed. The practicality of producing such contemporary play should be considered since the play itself is quite simple. Hence, there is no need for theatrical displays of props and settings since in my opinion, the psychological beauty and seriousness of the play can still come out if there are simpler props and settings included. For example, instead of traveling from one place to another to determine the shift from train station to the actual destination, there can be a play with light, darkness, and space as to pertain to the shift. Reference

The Underworld and Morality in Vergils Aeneid Essay -- Aeneid Essays

The Underworld and Morality in Vergil's Aeneid Book IV of the Aeneid can stand alone as Vergil's highest literary achievement, but centered in the epic, it provides a base for the entire work. The book describes Aeneas's trip through the underworld, where after passing through the depths of hell, he reaches his father Anchises in the land of Elysium. Elysium is where the "Soul[s] to which Fate owes Another flesh" lie (115). Here Anchises delivers the prophecy of Rome to Aeneis. He is shown the great souls that will one day occupy the bodies of Rome's leaders. Before the prophecy of Rome is delivered, Aeneis's journey through the underworld provides a definite ranking of souls according to their past lives on Earth. The Aeneid does not encompass a heaven, but the Underworld provides a punishment place where souls are purged of their evils and after one thousand years, regenerated to Earth. The ranking of souls in the Underworld warns of punishment for sin, and provides a moral framework for Roman life. Aeneis's first contact with a soul in the purgatory of the Underworld is Palinurus, who died after falling from one of Aeneis's ships. Aeneis is at the mouth of the river that flows through hell with his guide the goddess Diephobe and Charon the ferryman. Palinurus is waiting to be ferried to his place in the Underworld, so he can begin his thousand-year purge. He pleads with Aeneis's party to take him along, but Deiphobe scolds him: "Shalt thou, unburied, see the Stygian flood, / The Furies stream, or reach the bank unbid?" (107). In Vergil's Underworld one must have had a proper burial to gain a position. This serves as a warning to Romans to give their deceased a proper funeral, less they remain in hell longer. After Pa... ...ere he meets his father and receives the destiny of Rome. Elysium houses those souls "to which fate owes another flesh" (115). These are the great heroes of the Ancient World that will be reincarnated as Roman leaders: They have no human acts to be punished for. The story shifts here from that of moral lesson, to historical prophecy, but underlying the history there is a subtle command of respect for Roman leaders. The Underworld is more then just a creation to make Aeneis's voyage to his father more poetic. Through it, Vergil creates a moral code for his people, emphasizing grayer acts that can be easily justified such as deciding not to raise a child and giving up on love. Vergil saw how these acts hurt humanity, and created the Underworld to curve them. Bibliography Vergil. Aeneid. Dover Thrift Edition. Trans. Charles J. Billson. New York: Dover, 1995.

Henry Lawson Essay

Henry Lawson, conflicted and brilliant was hailed as one of the â€Å"greatest writers of Australia† during the Colonial Period. Famous for his authenticity and vivid realism, many historians have often noted that Lawson acted as a spokesman of sorts for Australians and is acclaimed as a landmark in Australian literature. From one of his many works stems the short poem entitled â€Å"Poverty† depicting the themes of poverty, penury and hypocrisy. Lawson attempts in two stanzas to capture the emotions of those who are under financial difficulties. He also touches upon several social issues of how people, specifically preachers and poets, often try to glorify and romanticize poverty as a virtue. He criticizes the hypocrisy of those who cite poverty as an asset, something to be thankful for and a building block of character when they themselves know nothing of the realities and actualities of being poor as it goes against all his personal notions and sentiments of poverty being the root of all evil –â€Å"the cause of half the crime, the cause of half the error! – The new mantra nowadays is how everybody is looking to lead a more â€Å"meaningful† life. Greed and avarice is now copious in nearly every social circle and it compels practically everyone to step back once in a while to ask: Is this worth it? Most often the temptation and thirst dominates the small seeds of doubt and it is on this note which is most similar to â€Å"Poverty†. World population has nearly tripled in the last 50 years alone and the intense pressure and the constant rat race to make more money [and lots of it] increases along with the competition. Despite the fact the many people hold the opinion that poverty is a curse, statistics and surveys on people with a lower quality of life has indicated quite the opposite. On the contrary, poorer people tend to be more at peace and contented with life. With none so many material possessions to blind them from the true essence of life, they are able to lead a humble existence and learn to enjoy small joys and little surprises, in exact accordance with the phrase: Money can’t do you everything. Throughout the ages, this world has changed and shifted until it has become the nearly unrecognizable haven it is today to nearly 6. 3 billion people, modifying and shaping societies and judgements along with it. Stronger and more dominant personalities may prevail over weaker minds but the essential truth remains the same. You are your own person with individual opinions. So the same principle applies to the question: â€Å"Is Poverty still relevant today? † This being a firmly subjective question, there is no real universal truth or answer for it. Only what you think.

Biography of Augusto Pinochet, Chiles Military Dictator

Augusto Pinochet (November 25, 1915–December 10, 2006) was an army officer and dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990. His years in power were marked by inflation, poverty, and the ruthless repression of opposition leaders. Pinochet was involved in Operation Condor, a cooperative effort by several South American governments to remove leftist opposition leaders, often by murder. Several years after stepping down, he was charged with war crimes concerning his time as president but died in 2006 before being convicted on any charges. Fast Facts: Augusto Pinochet Known For: Dictator of ChileBorn: Nov. 25, 1915 in Valparaiso, ChileParents: Augusto Pinochet Vera, Avelina Ugarte MartinezDied: Dec. 10, 2006 in Santiago, ChileEducation: Chilean War AcademyPublished Works: The Crucial DaySpouse: Marà ­a  Lucà ­a  Hiriart  Rodrà ­guezChildren: Augusto Osvaldo, Jacqueline Marie, Lucà ­a, Marco Antonio, Marà ­a Verà ³nicaNotable Quote: Everything I did, all my actions, all of the problems I had I dedicate to God and to Chile, because I kept Chile from becoming Communist. Early Life Pinochet was born on Nov. 25, 1915, in Valparaiso, Chile to descendants of French settlers who had come to Chile more than a century before. His father was a middle-class government worker. The eldest of six children, Pinochet married Marà ­a  Lucà ­a  Hiriart  Rodrà ­guez in 1943 and they had five children. He entered Chilean War Academy when he turned 18  and graduated in four years as a sub-lieutenant. Military Career Begins Pinochet rose quickly through the ranks despite the fact that Chile was never at war during his military career. In fact, Pinochet never saw combat while he was in the military; the closest he came was as the commander of a detention camp for Chilean Communists. Pinochet lectured at the War Academy and wrote five  books on politics and warfare. By 1968, he was promoted to brigadier general. Pinochet and Allende In 1948, Pinochet met future President Salvador Allende, a young Chilean senator who was a socialist. Allende had come to visit the concentration camp then run by Pinochet, where many Chilean Communists were being held. In 1970, Allende was elected president, and he promoted Pinochet to be commander of the Santiago garrison. Over the next three years, Pinochet proved invaluable to Allende by helping put down opposition to Allende’s economic policies, which were devastating the nation’s economy. Allende promoted Pinochet to commander-in-chief of all Chilean armed forces in August 1973. The Coup of 1973 Allende, as it turned out, had made a grave mistake by putting his trust in Pinochet. With the people in the streets and the countrys economy in shambles, the military moved to take over the government. On Sept. 11, 1973, less than three weeks after he had been made the commander-in-chief, Pinochet directed his troops to take Santiago, the capital, and he ordered an airstrike on the presidential palace. Allende died defending the palace, and Pinochet was made part of a four-man ruling junta led by the commanders of the army, air force, police, and navy. Later, he seized absolute power. Operation Condor Pinochet and Chile were heavily involved in Operation Condor, a collaborative effort among the governments of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay to control leftist dissidents such as the MIR, or Movement of the Revolutionary Left, in Bolivia, and the Tupamaros, a band of Marxist revolutionaries that operated in Uruguay. The effort consisted mainly of a series of kidnappings, disappearances, and assassinations of prominent opponents of the right-wing regimes in those countries. The Chilean DINA, a feared secret police force, was one of the driving organizations behind the operation. It is unknown how many people were killed during Operation Condor, but most of the estimates range well into the thousands. The Economy Pinochet’s team of U.S.-educated economists, who were known as â€Å"the Chicago Boys,† advocated lowering taxes, selling state-run businesses, and encouraging foreign investment. These reforms led to sustained growth, prompting the phrase â€Å"The Miracle of Chile.† However, the reforms also led to a decline in wages and a spike in unemployment, and there was a severe recession from 1980 to 1983. Steps Down In 1988, a nationwide referendum on Pinochet resulted in a majority of the people voting to deny him another term as their president. Elections were held in 1989 and the opposition candidate, Christian Democrat  Patricio Aylwin, was victorious. However, Pinochet’s supporters continued to hold enough influence in the Chilean parliament to block many proposed reforms. Pinochet remained in office until Aylwin was installed as president on March 11, 1990, although as an ex-president he remained a senator for life. He also kept his position as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Legal Troubles and Death Pinochet might have been out of the limelight, but the victims of Operation Condor did not forget about him. In October 1998, he was in the United Kingdom for medical reasons. Seizing upon his presence in a country with an extradition treaty, his opponents brought charges against him in a Spanish court in connection with the  torture  of Spanish citizens in Chile during his rule. He was charged with several counts of murder, torture, and kidnapping. The charges were dismissed in 2002 on the grounds that Pinochet, by then in his late 80s, was too unhealthy to stand trial. Further charges were brought against him in 2006, but Pinochet died on December 10 of that year in Santiago before the prosecution could proceed. Legacy   Many Chileans are divided on the topic of their former dictator. Some say they see him as a savior who rescued them from the socialist policies of Allende and who did what had to be done in a turbulent time to prevent anarchy and communism. They point to the growth of the economy under Pinochet and claim he was a patriot who loved his country. Others say he was a ruthless despot directly responsible for thousands of murders, in most cases for no more than thought crimes. They believe his economic success was not all it seemed because unemployment was high and wages were low during his rule. Regardless of these differing views, it is undeniable that Pinochet was one of the most important figures of the 20th century in South America. His involvement in Operation Condor made him the poster boy for violent dictatorship, and his actions led many in his country never to trust their government again.   Sources Dinges, John. The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents. Paperback, Reprint edition, The New Press, June 1, 2005.ï » ¿The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2018). Augusto Pinochet: President of Chile.