Mourners on Greek Vases Remarks on the Social History of...

In Christine Mitchell Havelock’s article, Mourners on Greek Vases: Remarks on the Social History of Women, Havelock describes the role of women in ancient Greece as being secondary, oppressed, restricted, disregarded and without identity. The question regarding women’s role in art within this time period is one that is new to us. Only recently has our focus been drawn toward the female gender and their role within these works. With the use of ancient vases depicting funeral scenes as visual aids, Havelock interprets the settings and points out how the artists depicted the role of women through visual hierarchy and figure poses. Havelock continues to describe the role of women within this time period with the help of literary writings†¦show more content†¦These attributes did not make her a role model to the young girls of Greece. Athena had qualities that no other woman during that time had. She was seen as above all other women and a standard that could not b e reached. Therefore she is viewed as a creation from the male mind rather than a role model to the women of Greece. Havelock’s article gives the reader an insight towards the role of women in ancient Greece. Her views on the subject seem to be very well thought out and carefully analyzed. The opinions that are shared really connect with many different works from the time. She not only looks at the visual representations upon the vases she is studying but she also does research into multiple literary works and beliefs of the era. With this broad spectrum of detail throughout the culture her findings seem concrete. As she describes each of her views on her topic, it becomes evident to the reader that she has an extensive background in art history and expects that the reader also have a similar knowledge of the subject matter. With this understanding her points come from an educated analysis rather than pure opinion. All readers must have a basic level of knowledge in art histo ry since her ideas are a more in depth look toward the work. With works of art being so subjective, especially older works that come from a time where society and culture are so different from our own, each person will always interpret details differently. Although Havelock’s ideas

Fitzgeralds Exploration of the American Dream in The...

Fitzgeralds Exploration of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a one of the best stories written during a chaotic period in our nation’s history, The Jazz Age. The Twenties were a time of social experiments, self-indulgence, and dissatisfaction for majority of Americans. Fitzgerald depicts all these characteristics throughout the novel with his interesting themes, settings, and characters. The most elaborate and symbolic character Fitzgerald presents to his readers is Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as a vehicle to explore the idea of The American Dream, which was a key element in shaping American society and it’s citizens. Fitzgerald does not sugar-coat his definition of the†¦show more content†¦Gatsby’s love and longing for Daisy then became his motivation to become wealthy, high classed, and successful. Gatsby does reach the element of gaining wealth and success, but his ambition is only half met. It is the full achievement of his goal which will soon le ad to the destruction of his life. Gatsby refuses to not meet his aspirations and will fulfill his dream by any means necessary. Although Gatsby’s intentions and motivation to become successful are pure, the way he obtains his status is extremely foul and criminal. Gatsby participates in organized crime, trades stolen securities, and bootlegs illegal alcohol. Instead of Gatsby using his wit and intelligence in an honest hard working way, he participates in corrupt acts, which will guarantee him his wealth and status. It is this aspect of Gatsby’s life where Fitzgerald expresses the decline of The American Dream. He tries to show his readers the demoralization of our society and how greed and power are a form of empty success that a lot of Americans buy in to. Gatsby’s aspirations are destroyed when he comes to the realization that certain dreams can never be converted into reality. When Gatsby and Daisy re-meet for the first time in years, he still refuses to se e how self-absorbed, shallow, and greedy she truly is. As more events occur, he becomes aware of her intentions and can finally see how blinded he was by her charm and beauty so many years ago. Even though Gatsby has come to thisShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby And America s Tragedy1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Gatsby and America’s Tragedy The 1920’s resemble an epoch of the most significant economic prosperity that the Western world has ever seen. The Roaring Twenties, or the Jazz Age, was a period of immense change for all people after The Great War. Women could vote, cars and telephones were immensely popular, jazz music peaked, and airplanes became widely used, all things never before witnessed in world history. In the heat of this era, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby emerged, highlightingRead More1) How Does Gatsby Represent the American Dream? and What Does the Novel Have to Say About the Condition of the Amrican Dream in 1920s?1110 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough The Great Gatsby is filled with multiple themes such as love, money, order, reality, illusion and immorality, no one would probably deny that the predominate one focuses on the American Dream and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is the central of this novel. T his can be explained by how Gatsby came to get his fortune. By studying the process of how Gatsby tried to achieve his own so-called American Dream, we could haveRead More1) How Does Gatsby Represent the American Dream? and What Does the Novel Have to Say About the Condition of the Amrican Dream in 1920s?1116 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough The Great Gatsby is filled with multiple themes such as love, money, order, reality, illusion and immorality, no one would probably deny that the predominate one focuses on the American Dream and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is the central of this novel. This can be explained by how Gatsby came to get his fortune. By studying the process of how Gatsby tried to achieve his own so-called American Dream, we could haveRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby984 Words   |  4 PagesScott Fitzgerald’s the ‘Great Gatsby’ a number of issues and them es were portrayed,. However among them the central theme focused on the decline of the American dream. The American dream is the concept that, in America, any person can be successful as long he or she is prepared to work hard and use his natural gifts (Three Themes,2016). This American dream was coined in the early years of the American settlement with the mostly poor immigrants searching for opportunities (The American Dream, n.d)Read MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1861 Words   |  8 PagesHow has your understanding of the moral, social and/or political issues in The Great Gatsby been informed by an awareness of the context in which it was written? â€Å"Pleasure was the color of the time.† Harold Clurman s famous quote refers to the incredible excess and glamour of the 1920s, a reality The Great Gatsby explores to a great extent. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald s discussion of pertinent social and moral issues in the novel must be framed by a knowledge and awareness of the society in whichRead MoreEssay on The American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1965 Words   |  8 PagesThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The American Dream is deeply rooted in American ideals.   It implies that an individuals determination is the deciding factor in the accumulation of wealth, freedom, and total happiness.   It creates an equal ground on which anyone and everyone can attain spiritual and material fulfillment.   Although these ideals can be traced back to the original settlers, perhaps one of the earliest written manifestations of the Dream can be found in JeffersonsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1345 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Gatsby (1925) is very modern in style due to the assortment of different techniques used by F. Scott Fitzgerald throughout the novel, in order to keep up with the trend of 20th century modern literature. Through the critical analysis of techniques used such as symbols, ideas, narration and characters we can explore in-depth to what extent that The Great Gatsby can be deemed as ‘modern’ in style. During the modernist pe riod in the 1920’s, when The Great Gatsby was written, modernism wasRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1567 Words   |  7 Pagesinnovated evolution, away from traditional morals of many Americans to those values less conservative and open-minded. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, and Ernest Hemingway’s, The Sun Also Rises, act as an exploration of Americans’ shift in values, post-World War One (WWI). These authors do so by commenting on the excessive partying and drinking, the falsification of relationships, and the lost generation of the veterans who fought in the Great War. In their novels, Fitzgerald and HemingwayRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1380 Words   |  6 PagesVelasquez Ms. Smith American Literature 10 August 2015 In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald has a running theme that excessive wealth and materialism will lead to carelessness, corruption, and destruction. Most of the characters in the book reflect this theme, like Tom and Daisy as they were careless to run away from their difficulties because they have the money and leave their mess for someone else to clean it up. However, some characters go against this theme, like Jay Gatsby. He came from a poorRead MoreAccording To Salman Rushdie, An Award Winning British Indian1851 Words   |  8 Pagesone human being, in which, to our delight and great surprise, we may find our own vision reflected.† Good literature often strives to evoke various responses from and connect with the reader through character emotions, which allows the interaction between one self and characters to become profound and meaningful. This enables the reader to bond with and relate to characters on an emotional, moral and ethical level. The various themes that enrich great works of literature are known to stand the test

Madness of Lear Edgar Free Essays

Madness is considered to be the root of all endings. In addition, the overall mental and physical state of madness is seen as shameful to many people, as well as disrespectful to oneself and others. With that being said, the motif of madness one thing that no man wants to experience. We will write a custom essay sample on Madness of Lear Edgar or any similar topic only for you Order Now But in Shakespeare’s King Lear, madness appears in various forms and functions as the central theme, and leads many of the characters, including Lear himself, to their demise. In the beginning of the play, Lear is characterized as a very prideful individual, who is obsessed with power and self-love. But as the plot of the play progresses, numerous situations arise and Lear endures a rollercoaster of emotions, which ultimately shape him into a different person. Lear’s overall changes throughout the play all have something in common: a decrease in power and an increase in grief and sympathy. Each obstacle that Lear goes through pushes his pride more and more towards self-pity and sadness, which are emotions that a King of his stature is not used to having to deal with. Through his perspective at this point, he fears that he is going mad, and Lear is so obsessed with control that the thought of losing it all makes him believe that he is losing his sanity as well. However, after he constantly gets pushed to experience self-evaluation with each situation. Lear undergoes a rebirth, even though it is too late for the King at this stage of the play. Another character in King Lear, Edgar, also endures the play’s central theme of madness, but in a different way. Edgar feigns his insanity to stay alive, by disguising himself as the beggar â€Å"Poor Tom†, in order for his father, Gloucester, to accept him after Edmund, Gloucester’s illegitimate son, tricks their father into thinking that Edgar is a madman and wants to murder his father. Edgar fames madness throughout the play and disguises himself as the madman that Edmund has betrayed him to be, since at the time the insane were virtually invisible to society. Ironically, Edgar’s time as a supposedly insane beggar prepares him to defeat Edmund at the close of the play. Shakespeare uses both of these characters to mirror and contrast one another’s states to madness and to illustrate the play’s deeper meanings. While Edgar pretends to be mad, Lear is actually mad. Edgar stimulates insanity and foreshadows Lear’s madness, as it grows stronger throughout the play. The two end up joining, and it ultimately provides Lear with important wisdom by reducing him to his bare humanity, stripped of all royal pretentions. However, the real madness of Lear and the assumed madness of Edgar both play against one another to make out of the chaos a harmony in the kingdom through self-revelation, wisdom, and humility. Eventually, the madness comes to an end. Edgar unveils his disguise of madness and overthrows Edmund, while Lear’s madness leads to his demise. Overall, Shakespeare delves into the issues of age, power, lust, betrayal, and most of all, pure madness. The play shines a light on various faults in humanity, including self-indulgence and the desires to only think about oneself. In the end, greed and egotism can really only result in madness. How to cite Madness of Lear Edgar, Papers