The Silent Era Of Hollywood Film Studies Essay

The Silent Era Of Hollywood Film Studies Essay The Silent Era of Hollywoods History was a great milestone in paving the way for todays film industry. With great actors and innovative technology, silent films poked fun at society and helped America get through some tough times. Happening between the end of World War I and the beginning of the Great Depression, silent films helped American audiences sit back and relax for an hour or two and laugh at society. Slapstick comedy made fun of high society and authority, absorbing the audience. Actors like Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks took the audience on adventures beyond any they had ever seen. In a world of black and white, silent films brightened up the lives of Americans everywhere. Whether it was a comedy, horror, or suspense, on television or at the theater, everyone in America has seen at least one movie. But have they ever stopped to appreciate how far the movie industry has come to produce outstanding special effects, eye-popping 3-D, and out-of-this-world colors? Where did all the film studios come from? Who paved the way for todays actors? Advancements and dilemmas in a world of silent black and white helped shape the movie industry forever. Early Beginnings. In 1873, a photographer was asked to find a way to photograph running horses to study their gait. Eadweard Muybridge set up twelve cameras and snapped his pictures. Each one had a half-second period of movement. He never went on to create films, but he certainly paved the way for many others. Émile Reynaud built a toy he called the Projecting Praxinoscope in 1877. It was a spinning drum where viewers saw various images in mirrors. In 1882, he found a way to project moving pictures using a lantern and mirrors. In 1888, Kodak started introducing film on paper rolls. This caught the eye of inventor Thomas Edison. He and his assistant cut the film and punched four holes onto one side so that gears could pull the film strips through the camera (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 5-8). Early film was definitely primitive with choppy editing and jerky movements, but without it movies would have never come to existence. It took many years to perfect it, and by the time America needed enterta inment, film makers were ready. The Silent Era. Looking back, the roaring twenties was a great decade for directors, actors, and audiences in America. Post-World War I and Pre-Great Depression, America was the leading producer of movies, dealing with many of the societys problems and taboo topics. Scott Mintz of Digital History, described the silent movie era: American films were born in an age of reform, and many early silent movies took as their subject matter the major social and moral issues of the Progressive era: birth control, child labor, divorce, immigration, political corruption, poverty, prisons, prostitution, and womens suffrage. The tone of these films varied widely some were realistic and straightforward; others treated their subjects with sentimentality or humor; and many transformed complex social issues into personal melodramas. Yet there can be no doubt that many silent films dealt at least obliquely with the dominant issues of the time (2007). Film Studios. By 1926, over 400 feature films touching on societys problems were made and were emerging from eight different studios, five major and three minor. The Big Five produced 90% of films in America (Scott, 2005). Warner Bros. Pictures was the first of the five. Created by four Polish brothers, Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam, Warner became prominent after first introducing talkies in the latter half of the decade. The studio later became infamous with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes cartoons. The next great studio was Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in 1916. In 1935 it became known as Paramount Pictures, and generated many silent film stars such as Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and talking stars including Bing Crosby and Bob Hope (Dirks, 1996). Paramount made a total of 101 movies in 1921 (Scott, 2005). The third studio was known as RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures. It struggled in the 1920s until talking films came to the surface. The next studio is more commonly known as MGM o r Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Metro Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures Company merged together in 1924. They are best known for the Tom and Jerry cartoons. The final big studio was a merger of two big studios, Fox Film Corporation/Foundation and 20th Century Picture Company. It became known as 20th Century Fox (Dirks, 1996). The last three studios may have just been minor then, but today two of them are top-selling studios. Universal Pictures was formed in 1912 and became known for the Woody Woodpecker cartoons. The C.B.C Film Sales Company was founded in 1920 and later became known as Columbia Pictures. They established fame with the first Batman serials. The last of the little three was United Artists, formed in 1919 by the top film stars of the time, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W Griffith (Dirks, 1996). Movie Palaces. Not only did the film companies create innovative movies, they also constructed deluxe palaces to showcase their films. By starting these movie theater chains, the movie industry skyrocketed. Between 1922 and 1930, investment jumped from $78 to $850 million, and movie patrons doubled from 40 million people a week to 80 million (Thompson Bordwell, 1994). The Strand Theater opened in 1914 with 3,300 seats. The 6,200-seat Roxy Theater opened in New York City in 1927. It closed in 1960 and became known as Radio City Music Hall in 1965. On the west coast, Sid Grauman built three theaters in Los Angeles: the Million Dollar Theater (2,345 seats), the Egyptian Theater (1,760 seats), and the infamous Chinese Theater (2,258 seats). Grauman decided to start a tradition of Hollywood stars leaving their imprints in front of the theater (Dirks, 1996). Many of todays stars have their imprints at the theater, including one of the best known silent film stars of all time: Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin. Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London in spring 1889. His parents were both actors and singers, giving Charlie each a piece of their talents. Unfortunately, the sudden death of his father and the mental illness of his mother forced him out on his own at the age of 10. Having his first stage performance at the age of 14 in Sherlock Holmes, Charlie started doing vaudeville comedy and was immediately taken to America to showcase his talents (Overview). Easily recognized by the toothbrush moustache, bowler hat, and funny walk, Chaplin starred in 87 short films and became known for his trademark Little Tramp character (see figure 1) (Smith, Mini Biography). Chaplin became ambitious and starred in a drama that ridiculed high society. His audience, however, avoided a film without the Little Tramp. He brought the character back in two of his greatest films, The Gold Rush (1925) and The Circus (1927) (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 166-167). Figure : Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp Not only did Chaplin star in almost 100 films, he also wrote and directed, financed and produced, and composed all the music for them. During his spare time he wrote four books and composed many other songs. His films always focused on the economic and social problems of the time, making him relatable to the public while still being a comedian. He died on Christmas day in 1977. He was married and divorced four separate times and was survived by nine children (Smith, Mini Biography). Douglas Fairbanks. Another co-creator of United Artists, and a great actor in the action genre was Douglas Fairbanks. Born in Denver, Colorado in 1883, Fairbanks moved to New York in 1900. He made his Broadway debut there in 1902 and quickly prospered in his career. Wanting to move on to bigger and better things, he was under close watch of D.W. Griffith and became a huge movie star. He starred in many social and romantic comedies, making him very appealing to his audience. During a World War I Liberty bond tour, he met his future wife and equally popular actress Mary Pickford. After divorcing their respective spouses, they were married. Divorces were frowned upon during this era, but at the time they were so popular that America forgave and forgot their divorces. The couple was known as the king and queen, the royal couple of Hollywood. He is best known for action films such as The Mask of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921) (see figure 2), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924), and The Black Pirate (1926) (Stars, 2004). Figure : Douglas Fairbanks in The Three Musketeers In 1927, Fairbanks and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was founded. Together they created the Academy Awards, to acknowledge, appreciate, and reward excellence in film (Dirks, 1996). Fairbanks died suddenly of a heart attack in 1939, and was given a special Oscar for recognizing the unique and outstanding contribution of the first President of the Academy to the international development of the motion picture (Stars, 2004). Early Innovations in Color. Making these award-winning movies was no easy feat since technology was moving fast. In the 1910s, directors and cinematographers were placing semi-transparent fabrics over their lenses to give the shot a soft, blurry look. By the 1920s, special lenses were created that focused all attention on the main actors and scenery, while blurring out the background. Another major advancement was the development of panchromatic film stock. Film was only sensitive to purple, blue, and green. Yellow and red barely registered, making any object of that color appear black (like an actress lipstick, see figure 3), while blue and purple appeared white. The sky with clouds rolling by was hard to film since the blue washed out to white with the clouds. By 1925, Eastman Kodak starting producing panchromatic stock and film studios were quickly switching over (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 177-178). While vibrant shades of gray and black becoming popular, a world famous icon was still just an idea. Figure : Mary Pickfords lips appear black and she clearly stands out from the background A Mouse for All Ages. Walt Disney started his own arts firm in 1919. After many failed attempts at short cartoons, he and his brother Roy started the Disney Brothers Studios in Hollywood. It would later grow into one of the biggest corporations in the twentieth century. A character Disney created was taken over by another during a legal battle (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, p. 179). In retaliation, Disney created Steamboat Willie, starring Mickey Mouse for the first time in 1928. Steamboat Willie was also the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Strangely enough, the first sound was not Mickeys voice, but background noises and music. Mickey didnt speak until his ninth cartoon when he said hot dogs!, using Disneys voice for Mickeys (Dirks, 1996). Lets Hear it for the Movies. As the decade came to a close, the arrival of sound was a major disturbance. Silent films could be distributed all over the world, having no language barrier. Now that actors were beginning to talk, the movies had to stay strictly in the US and audiences started to realize the actors lacked an appealing speaking voice. Many directors had to have their actors imported from Broadway, knowing they already had excellent speaking voices. Cameras were bulky and created a lot of noise, and immobile microphones attached to the actors limited their mobility. Soon the silent film studios became almost extinct and boom mikes, mounted cameras, and sound-proof stages were the most innovative equipment (Dirks, 1996). With the new microphones, actors could move freely and speak at their normal pace, giving films a new rhythm. The Bell Howell Rotambulator was also invented, giving cameras movement they never had before. The dolly could raise the camera vertically from 18 inches to 7 feet and pannin g, tilting, and tracking were simpler and easier (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, pgs. 241-242). Coloring a Black and White World Black and white was also becoming obsolete. People had tried in the past to paint or hand-tint the film strips, but their efforts were futile after realizing the films looked unrealistic. Kinemacolor was introduced and used alternating red and green filters, black and white film was projected through them. In 1915, the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation was developed. They added the green and red color to the negative film strips and printed them together. A two-color system starting in the 1910s had evolved into a three-color system in 1932, due to Technicolor (Dirks, 1996). Effects of the Great Depression In addition to new advancements slowly deteriorating the Silent Era, The Great Depression also hurt everyone, including the film studios and their palaces. Theaters could no longer afford ushers, and they started selling popcorn, soda, and candy as an extra means of income. Since audiences had very little money to spend outside of necessities, theaters needed to create new sales pitches. Theaters began playing double and even triple features. Even though the last movie was a short, cheap B movie, audiences felt they were getting more for their dollar. Prize giveaways were also done at the door, giving away anything from pillows to dishes. Each week a new dish was given away, further persuading patrons to come back every week to collect and complete their dishware set (Thompson Bordwell, 1994, p 240). Never Forgotten. Even though many Americans think of silent films as ancient, boring antiques, they are so much more. In addition to addressing major social and moral issues, early films were laced with anti-authority themes, poking fun at bumbling cops, corrupt politicians, and intrusive upper-class reformers. Highly physical slapstick comedy offered a particularly potent vehicle of social criticism, spoofing the pretensions of the wealthy and presenting sympathetic portraits of the poor (Mintz, 2007). Silent films let audiences know that it was alright to laugh at the morally corrupt world after the first World War. They opened the door for great actors and actresses to pave the way for todays movie stars. Silent films are a major part of Hollywoods history and should never be forgotten.

An Analysis of Language in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 to Isaiah Okafo and Janet Achebe in the very unstable country of Ogidi, Nigeria. He was exposed to missionaries early in his childhood because Ogidi was one of the first missionary centers established in Eastern Nigeria and his father was an evangelist. Yet it was not until he began to study at the University of Ibadan that Achebe discovered what he himself wanted to do. He had grown apalled to the "superficial picture" of Nigeria that many non-Nigerian authors were providing. That is when Achebe resolved to write something that viewed his country from "the inside".   (Gallagher, Susan, The Christian Century, v114, 260)  Ã‚   His first novel, Things Fall Apart, achieved exactly this.   Things Fall Apart is based on Nigeria's early experiences with the British. It is the story of an Ibo village and one of it's great men, Okonkwo, who is a very high achiever being a champion wrestler, a wealthy farmer, a husband to three wives, and a man with titles. Okonkwo's world is disrupted with the appearance of the first white man who tries to inflict his religion on the Umuofia natives. Okonkwo, a high tempered man, later kills a British employed man and eventually takes his own life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Achebe himself once said, "Language is a weapon and we use it, and there's no point in   fighting it." ( Gallagher, The Christian Century, v114, 260)   These are words that Achebe lives by. He stood by this statement throughout his entire career with a language style that would change African literature. was no exception. He accomplished his goal by writing about his own culture and his own family in a poetic, proverbic style.   Ã‚   The unique language style of Things Fall Apart not only changed Achebe's career, but it also changed his country. Achebe himself once said, " Art is, and always was, at the service of man. Our ancestors created their myths and told their stories for a human purpose. Any good story, any good novel, should have a message, should have a purpose." Achebe used the "weapon" of language to convince "outsiders" that Nigeria is a nation with great potential.

Honour Is Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”

When we look closely at the romance of Beatrice and Benedick, we see the problems that a rational lover has in putting aside his concept of honour in order to love a woman and Shakespeare cleverly contrasts this relationship with our idealistic lover Claudio, who is incapable of rejecting the restrictions that honour places on a man. In a parallel construction we see through the relationship that the boorish Claudio has with the docile Hero that for love to flourish it must reject chivalric notions of honour. The social hierarchy of Messina, is a very class conscious one and being witty is almost a full time occupation for many of its inhabitants. Playing practical jokes and tricks upon each other is a subtle way of maintaining the strict codes of conduct and among the most successful and benevolent of the deceptions practised are the parallel practical jokes played on Beatrice and Benedick in order to trick each of them into admitting their love for one another. In their first encounter, we see Beatrice and Benedick using their superior intellects to ridicule each other. Benedick warns her to ‘keep her ladyship’ and she lashes back with insults around his physicality suggesting that he is so ugly that ‘scratching his face could not make it worse’. Benedick uses his wit to shield himself from her barbs, hiding his true feelings and pretending to enjoy his bachelor existence when actually it is a mechanism for his safety. Benedick presents one face to the world in order to be accepted by the society that judges him and it is this society that acknowledges his wit, but underpinning Benedick’s wit is his distaste for the superficial values that Messinian society is built upon. His ironic attitude towards both himself and the world he is held captive by is apparent in his soliloquy, where he weighs up the discrepancy between how the world sees him and how he sees himself. The repartee between Beatrice and Benedick is sometimes blunt and crude, sometimes elaborate and self conscious. Puns, similes, metaphors, and paradoxes are all brought into play in their continual game of mutual insults and it is this aggressive verbal battle which pushes Beatrice and Benedick to the foreground of the play. Being in love is a game for fools and Benedick vows to never be ‘such a fool’. Benedick persuades himself that by staying away from Beatrice and denying himself any notions of marriage, he is a confirmed misogymist, that he is the stronger individual and has control over his life instead of living for another human being and risking becoming a hopelessly ‘in love’ lover. Benedick views women in society as somehow predatory, wanting to ‘capture’ a man and contain him in marriage, only to torture him with subsequent betrayal. However when faced with a woman such as Beatrice, who proclaims herself equally contemptuous of marria ge and for the same reasons, Benedick’s role begins to fall apart, which is where Benedick faces the biggest battle in his life, as he fights to hold on to his notions of male honour. But no matter how hard he tries he cannot frame for himself a separate language of love and as a result he and Beatrice construct a loving relationship which is as much of a sparring match as their enmity, once Benedick gives up his notions of male honour. In stark contrast to Benedick and Beatrice, Shakespeare’s ideal lovers, Claudio and Hero, ‘believe’ they are in love with each other, but we quickly see that when put to the test this love is superficial and lacks the true acknowledgement of each other’s individuality needed to sustain it. Their love for each other, although seemingly sincere, dissipates at the first obstacle and doubt sees one quick to accuse the other of adultery. For Beatrice and Benedick however, their jokes are the means whereby they can resist the kind of love-relationship exemplified by Hero and Claudio. In the end the ‘happy-ending’ which sees Hero married off to Claudio is one fraught with contradictions, for this conventional relationship, founded as it is on romantic love, which they exemplify, has been severely satirised by Shakespeare. By presenting the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick as real and not idealistic, we see the fragility of an idealised, romantic love such as the one Claudio has with Hero and its tendency to collapse into loathing and disgust becomes all too apparent. Appropriately the play ends not with Claudio and Hero whose strict adherence to an unbending code of honour temporarily fragments their relationship, but with Beatrice and Benedick who overcome both the male code of honour and society’s expectations to love and accept each other for their individual selves. There is a relationship built on mutual trust, respect and acceptance and proof that Love must be truthful to be sustained.

Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness Essays

Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness Essays Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness Essay Kents most notable characteristics are his loyalty and bluntness Essay Essay Topic: Literature The character of King Lears Kent is a formidable one. Whether it is the extent of his service to the King, the harshness and imagination with which he fights to defend the King or his character progression throughout the play. His most notable characteristics are definitely his incessant loyalty and his use of blunt language when his respectful interjections are ignored. It is his loyalty that motivates him and his bluntness that lands him in trouble. He speaks up to the King and warns him about his hideous rashness in the treatment of Cordelia and is blunt and to the point What wouldst thou do, old man? Act 1 Scene 1; but only uses this language when he is not being taken into consideration. We normally hear Kent referring to the King in a respectful and loyal manner my lord and my leige. His bluntness and forwardness towards the King leads to his banishment, which Kent accepts but not without a final word of advice See better Lear, and let me still remain the true blank of thine eye. Act 1 Scene 1 We notice that his advice and speeches are justified by the subsequent events of the play. His reference towards the Kings daughters prior to leaving the court is a sign of what is still to come . the gods to their dear shelter take thee, maid, that justly thinkst and hast most rightly said;(to Cordelia) And your large speeches may your deeds approve, that good effects may spring from words of love. (To Goneril Regan) Act 1 Scene 1 The extent of his loyalty is shown when he assumes the disguise as Caius and presents himself to the King, in order to remain close to him. If but as well I other accents borrow that can my speech diffuse, my good intent May carry through itself to that full issue for which I razed my likeness. Now, banishment Kent, if thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned So may it come thy master whom thou lovst shall find thee full of labours. He offers his services to the King, and relates how he thinks a servant, counsel or aid should serve the King, which is the same way he had served the King in the past I can keep honest counsel, ride, run, mar a curious tale in telling it and deliver a plain message bluntly. That which ordinary men are fit for I am qualified in, and the best of me is diligence. Act 1 Scene 4 This is ironic though as the same reasons Lear banished Kent are the same reasons he is employing Caius! He proves his loyalty by defending Lear against Oswald, he trips him. Lear begins to trust Caius and gives him a letter to be delivered to Regan. Kent pledges his loyalty and obedience; I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter. When Lear arrives at Gloucesters castle and is confronted with Oswald, we see the light heartedness and imagery used to portray the emotions and situation within the play; this was Shakespeares way of interjecting a bit of Comic Relief into this stressful play. Again we see the modesty of Kents character and loyalty towards the King when he bluntly insults Regan, Cornwall and Edgar in Act 2 Scene 2 I have seen better faces in my time than stands on any shoulder that I see before me at this instant. His speech once again leads him to trouble and he ends up in the stocks. Kent keeps us informed on the plot development of the play and on Cordelias movements and plans. He is very concerned about the King out in the storm, the Kings comfort and well-being are of utmost importance to him. Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel:.. Kent tries to reason with Lear when he starts to compare himself to Poor Tom (Edgar), he tries to assist him; he hath no daughters, sir. (Act 3 Scene 4) When Kent meets Gloucester, he informs him of Lears state of mind and shows his concern for the well-being of the King; Here sir, but trouble him not; his wits are gone. He never stops protecting the King and assisting him. As the play progresses we notice that the role of Kent slowly reduces, initially he has great speeches and is ready to endure all, but only till his master needs him! Its like he loses all his purpose in life with the death of King Lear, and fades away; I have a journey, sir, shortly to go; My master calls me, I must not say no. He follows Lear even in death. Loyal to the end!

What extent Charlotte Brontes treatment of women in Jane Eyre Essays

What extent Charlotte Brontes treatment of women in Jane Eyre Essays What extent Charlotte Brontes treatment of women in Jane Eyre Paper What extent Charlotte Brontes treatment of women in Jane Eyre Paper Essay Topic: Literature Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, was published in London in 1847. Similar to many novels of the time, it highlighted the many social and moral problems of the period. These included topics such as poverty, health, lack of education, treatment of children and, the aspect that is pointed out for the most part in Jane Eyre- the limited role and the attitude towards women. Charlotte Bronte took great risk when she published Jane Eyre. In the period that Bronte lived, women were not expected to work, in fact, there was a strong feeling against women who worked. Writing was also included in this, and many women writers used a male name when they published books merely so that the book would actually sell. When Bronte wrote Jane Eyre however, she used her own name, risking the popularity of the book. The contents of Jane Eyre also put under great risk. As it was a male dominated society at the time, women had no say. They could not stand out against men. In Jane Eyre, men are represented as the bad, Mr. Brocklehurst, for example, treats the girls at Lowood School very badly, and he is a very typical male of the time. He orders the girls at Lowood to have their hair cut off, to wear poor clothes, eat little, and this is very poor food. Whereas his own daughters wear silk long dresses, the have long hair and are very well fed. Mr. Brocklehurst is an example of the poorness in education, the way children are treated, the gap between rich and poor and the male thought at the time towards others. Mr. Rochester when he is first met appears to be the most likely example of attitude towards women. He thinks, as the popular attitude went in that time, that women were an item, that they should be seen and not heard. Indeed, he shows this by the false marriage he tries to trick Jane into, and then trying to buy her over with gifts and nice clothes. Using men to in a sense mock the attitude of the time Jane was again risking the books popularity and maybe even the book being published. The book shows greatly the treatment of women. It gives many examples of women in different positions and how they are treated and the power that they have. When a couple were married in this period, the man, in a way, was buying the woman and her possessions. She became his property. Along with her money, possessions, land maybe even children. As they were not allowed to divorce until much later, the woman would have to stay with her husband until he died. The male in the relationship could get away with having an affair, but if the women ever tried it and was caught, she would be kicked out onto the street, losing money, power, status, and having nothing. In addition, if the woman tried to run away with her children it was thought of as kidnap, as the male owned the children. It was very rare for a woman to gain complete control over her husbands property unless he passed away. This is the position that Mrs. Reed was in. She owned all of her husband had taken when they married. However, marriages of upper class citizens were very rarely for love in that period. Women tried to marry someone of the same or higher social status than themselves, to increase their money and power. For a womans power was limited to her husbands control, influence, and wealth. When Jane meets Bessie before she goes to Thornfield, Bessie explains that miss Georgina met a young lord who she fell in love with but his relations were against his match This means that he was not of high enough status to marry miss Georgina, and she was disallowed to wed him by Mrs. Reed. Miss Ingram on the other hand, was of perfect social status to marry Mr. Rochester. She was of the same class as him, they were both rich and their families contained much power and wealth. Although Miss Ingram is merely marrying Mr. Rochester for his wealth, not his love, as Adele tells Jane. Higher-class women were usually those that could afford schooling with ease, but were those who did not need it. The women of these classes would be looked after their whole lives. They spend the first part of their lives under the protection of their own family wealth, living off this; they then are married and live off the wealth of their partner. At no time in their lives do they need the level of schooling that they receive. The irony in this is that those who need it the most, i. e. the lower class citizens, cannot afford it. For the middle class women of the time, education was something that most could afford, but some could not. Nevertheless, for a woman of middle class who had little or no money of their own was able to choose between up to three things: to be financially dependant on a husband, living as a dependant in a house as a governess or the unpleasant job of teaching in a school, depending on whether or not she had received an education. Women of this social status may have married for love a little more frequently than those who married in the higher classes. Jane fits very snugly into this category, as she gets an education of sorts, although being constantly bullied by the arrogant Mr. Brocklehurst; she then works as a teacher at Lowood, then moves to Thornfield to become a Governess. Charlotte Bronte illustrated these jobs as a protest that women of this status had so little choice of jobs. The bottom class of the social chain would have needed education the most out of all of three of the classes. They had no money; therefore they could not afford to be educated. The bottom class women of society wound up in the very worst of jobs. They would have no other choice than to work in the factories or workhouses that were situated all over England of this period. Either that or they would have wound up on the bottom of the chain of servants in houses such as that of Mr. Rochester. Charlotte Bronte refers to this chain when Jane very first enters Thornfield. Mrs Fairfax tells Jane that she and her should not really associate themselves with the lower class servants. Although being a servant herself, is considerably higher than others, as she I the woman employed to run the house when Mr. Rochester is away. She and Jane are more directly related to Mr. Rochester, as Jane is teaching his daughter, so they are seemingly higher up in the chain. The Hierarchy of servants was very common in large richer houses of the century. The top of the chain would consist of the wife of the house, as, she if she wished, she could take on this responsibility, as it was one of the few that they could. The next would be the head servant (similar to Mrs. Fairfax), she would take instructions from the wife if the wife was not carrying them out herself. Then would be servants that headed a particular area of expertise, Head Cook, Stable master etc. Under them would be the lowest servants, those of the lowest class who were lucky enough to get a place in a house where they may have been able to stay or be paid a fair wage. The lowest class women would have jobs such as washing, changing beds and pillows, dusting etc, under the orders of the head servant. Similar to Grace in Thornfield. The role and position of women has greatly changed since the period that charlotte Bronte lived. Jane Eyre is actually a fiction al autobiography of Charlotte Brontes life. From being treated badly at school, to being a teacher, Charlottes life is echoed in the book. Due to womens rights acts and that men saw the unfairness in the way women were treated women now have equal rights in society. Jane Eyre is a very good social commentary of what life was like in the period of which Charlotte lived.

Fowler's Stages of Religious Development & Thoughts on Essay

Fowler's Stages of Religious Development & Thoughts on Death--Kubler-Ross' and Lamers' Theories - Essay Example & Jack B., 2005). 3:- Synthetic-Conventional stage - A person has an ideology, consistent clustering of values and beliefs, but he or she has not objectified these for examination and in a sense is unaware of having them. 4:- Individuative-Reflective stage - The person comes out of the influence of the others and tries to hold him or herself authentic and consistent. 5:- Conjunctive Faith stage - Individuals learn to live with their faith and inquires. Dynamic, trusting relationship with God is established. 6:- Universalizing Faith stage - Religious development reaches to completion. Here, person decenters in the valuing process to such an extent that he/she participates in the valuing of the creator and values other beings (Fowler, 1981). As far as I am concerned, I find myself in conjunctive faith stage. My previous concrete boundaries are now becoming porous and permeable. To get to next level I will have to exit out of my current stage of a torn position between possibility and loyalty. Two major steps I can take to get to next level; I should experience a sense of connection with all beings and I should commit to overcome division, oppression and violence. I will have to move beyond self interest and my own religious ideologies in order to bring about love and justice. One of my closest relatives lost her mother. I inquired about her emotional reactions she encountered. She told me, although her mother was suffering from an incurable disease (Parkinsonism) and was on bed for the last ten years, yet she could not had imagined that her mother can be expired. Whenever she tried to realize that her mother was in terminal condition of disease and may die at any time, she could not think more, darkness appeared in front of her eyes and she became extremely upset. One day she received sad news about the death of her mother. She told that at hearing the news of her beloved mother she suffered

Comparative Essay about two short story Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative about two short story - Essay Example The first story, Prisoner on the hell plant, is based on the character Artie who has a lot to suffer in his life. Artie is a loner in this cruel and harsh world, a person who just lost his mother and considers himself to be a reason for the loss. He has a history of mental illness and when he came out of the asylum, Artie had a clear view of life in his mind. He wanted his life to improve and to be successful. Artie had been trying to improve his living standards, to get a good job and to worsk and support his mother. But, one day he receives the news of his mother committing suicide and the life he had been dreaming of shattered and the sky fell upon him as he realized what he had lost. Since the receiving of this new, Artie had been trying to figure out a way to find why his mother committed suicide. He had been making out reasons to make himself feel a little less guilty but, all he was left behind was the guilt that he made his mother commit suicide. Even though he was not, people around him were telling him that and consoling him. They were there for him and telling him that he was not at all guilty but Artie felt like he was going insane again and now that he has lost his only hope in the world, there is no chance for him to be a successful man he had dreamt of. Similar scenario is face by Marjane in ‘The Veil’. Marjane is a young girl with big dreams. Dreams of a world where all would be equal and no person would see the other with a sense of superiority. Marjane studies in the school at a time when revolutionists had called for different schools for the two sexes and wearing the veil was made necessary for the girls in school. This new law was not accepted by many and protests were going around in the country by groups both favoring and against this. Her class fellows did not like wearing the veil that much and most of them would remove it whenever they get a