Waiting For Godot Essays (671 words) - Theatre Of The Absurd

Waiting For Godot The Play about Nothing Waiting for Godot has been a subject of my thoughts for about two weeks now. While considering the work, its author, and the comments I have found about the play, I have come up with three hypotheses as to the meaning and overall theme. Either it is about Humanity waiting for a savior that does exist to return; or it could be about the hopelessness of Humanity waiting for a savior that doesnt exist, and therefore will never come; or, the easiest of possibilities, that Waiting really has no theme at all. This last theory is the one that I most readily accept, and the answer that Samuel Beckett, the author of the play, put forth when questioned about the meaning of his strange little piece. Many critics put the first theory forth as the true meaning of Waiting, and there are many aspects of it by which they can make their point. The most obvious is the title character, Godot, because the root word of the name is God. The many references to Christianity also create a close connection between the storyline and many important stories from the Bible. From the very beginning Vladimir and Estragon ponder their salvation, consider death, and draw a parallel between themselves and the two thieves that were crucified along with Jesus, according to the Gospels. Vladimir: One of the thieves was saved. Its a reasonable percentage. Gogo. Estragon: What? Vladimir: Suppose we repented. Estragon: Repented what? Vladimir: Ohwe wouldnt have to go into the details. Estragon: Our being born? (Beckett, p.8) The general attitude expressed throughout is the hopelessness, or possibly the meaningless-ness of life. Humanitys purpose is simply to wait out its existence until the Second Coming. Everything we do, say, feel, experience, etc., is just passing the time until our lives come to an end. Vladimir: That passed the time. Estragon: It would have passed in any case. Vladimir: Yes, but not so rapidly. (Beckett, p.31) Let us assume that Godot does symbolize God. He is someone who will come to make a great change in the Vladimir and Estragons lives, a great change for the better. But Godot, and whatever that change may be, does not come throughout the length of the play. They mistake Pozzo for Godot, and they mistake the messenger for Godot, because they do not know what Godot looks like or what manner of person he may be. Likewise, through our lives we mistake people and occurrences for Christ. And that helps us to pass the time until we die. The fact that Godot never comes also helps to prove the second theory about the meaning of Waiting. What if God and the afterlife do not exist? What then? We spend our entire lives waiting, biding our time in anticipation of our great reward. But when our lives end, thats it. All the preparation, all our good intentions, are useless and meaningless because there was no meaning in the first place. Beckett may have used the play to illustrate how pathetic Humanity seems as it strives toward a nonexistent goal. He also made great fun of all those philosophers that ponder on the meaning of our existence using the character of Lucky. When Lucky makes his lengthy oration of nonsense, it is illustrating what nonsense everything that all the great thinkers have said on the meaning of life. For if life has no meaning, then it is all gibberish, and Lucky makes just as much sense as Voltaire. The third and final theory about the meaning of Waiting for Godot is that it has no meaning. When questioned repeatedly on the matter, Beckett was quoted in the New York Times as saying, I know no more of this play than anyone who manages to read it attentively, and, I do not know who Godot is. I do not even know if he exists. Book Reports

The Parthenon Essays - Acropolis Of Athens, Parthenon, Free Essays

The Parthenon Essays - Acropolis Of Athens, Parthenon, Free Essays The Parthenon The Parthenon Greek culture blossomed after the Persian Wars. General Pericles around the 450s BC led the reconstruction of Athens; which became the most beautiful city in all of Greece. Pericles greatest structure built under his command was the Parthenon. The Parthenon was a temple built for the patron goddess Athena (goddess of wisdom and art). Construction started 447 BC and continued until 432 BC. The structure is located in Athens Greece, on the acropolis. The architects Ictinus and Callicrates designed the building. The Athenians wanted to achieve the appearance of perfection on the Parthenon. They did this by widening the columns at the center, making them appear strait when viewed from a distance; the steps leading to the Parthenon were lowered in the center giving the impression that they were strait from either side(Farah,116). Phidias was the artist that sculpted the art for the Parthenon. He himself did not sculpt everything but advised the other sculptors. The temple was 102 by 226 feet, rising 60 feet of the ground. It included two rooms, the naos the larger of the two is where a 42 foot tall sculpture of Athenia was located. The smaller room opisthodomos was used as a treasury(Web). Pattern of 8 by 17 Doric fluted columns surround the structure. (Parthenon floor plan) The Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple, which means that it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on all sides. Pentelic marble was used as the building material, which came from Mount Pentelicus 11 miles from Athens. The pentelic marble had shots of iron. This gave it a luminescent look when viewed on sunny a day. Lintels, horizontal supporting beams that span between columns were tied by bow-tie shaped iron clamps to secure them. Sculptures once decorated the pediments of the building. The eastern pediment depicted the birth of Athena and western pediment showed the battle between Athena and the sea god Poseidon for the control of Athens(Scully,65/Web). In 1687 the pediment sculptures were smashed. This was done by Venetian Admiral Morosini. Morosini was trying to lower the pediment sculptures(Scully,90). . The metopes of the Parthenon all represent the struggle between order and chaos. The east metope depicts battle between the gods and giants(Wed). The west metope reveals the mystical battle against the Amazons(Web). The south metope, the battle between the lapiths and the centaurs(Web). Last on the north metope, Greeks versus Trojans(Wed). In addition there was a decorated band called a frieze that went all the way around the cella (central enclosed space). The frieze showed people of Athens: officials, priests, maidens, and young men on horse back celebrating Athenas birthday(Web). The statue of Athena in the naos was 42 feet tall and was constructed of gold and ivory. The flesh was ivory and the drapery gold (the drapery was made removable incase of emergencies). (model) The Parthenon was used as a Christian church at about 500 AD. The Parthenon was also used as a mosque when Turkish Muslim forces captured the city in the mid-1400s. The battered structure and columns of the Parthenon are from the explosion of gunpowder. The Turks stored the gunpowder there, and in 1687 a Venetian cannon shattered the building. The Parthenon was a beautiful structure when completed. It is probably one of the best examples of classical architecture. Most of the remaining art was removed and placed in the Acropolis Museum in Athens and the British Museum in London(Web). Now, what is left of the Parthenon sits in ruins for the tourist and citizens to be admired; the great accomplishments and sorrows of mans past.

Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Watergate Scandal - Research Paper Example Five other men plead guilty, but mysteries remain. April 30 - Nixon's top White House staffers, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and Attorney General Richard Kleindienst resign over the scandal. White House counsel John Dean is fired. May 18 - The Senate Watergate Committee begins its nationally televised hearings. Attorney General-designate Elliot Richardson taps former solicitor general Archibald Cox as the Justice Department's special prosecutor for Watergate. June 3 - John Dean has told Watergate investigators that he discussed the Watergate cover-up with President Nixon at least 35 times, The Post reports. June 13 - Watergate prosecutors find a memo addressed to John Ehrlichman describing in detail the plans to burglarize the office of Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, The Post reports. July 13 - Alexander Butterfield, former presidential appointments secretary, reveals in congressional testimony that since 1971 Nixon had recorded all conversations and telephone calls in his offices. July 18 - Nixon reportedly orders the White House taping system disconnected. July 23 - Nixon refuses to turn over the presidential tape recordings to the Senate Watergate Committee or the special prosecutor. October 20 - Saturday Night Massacre: Nixon fires Archibald Cox and abolishes the office of the special prosecutor. Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus resign. Pressure for impeachment mounts in Congress. November 17 - Nixon declares, "I'm not a crook," maintaining his innocence in the Watergate case. December 7 - The White House can't explain an 18 ?-minute gap in one of the subpoenaed tapes. Chief of Staff Alexander Haig says one theory is that "some sinister force" erased the segment....In the cold war era of the United States and Russia, and the war raging on in Vietnam, Nixon felt a need to increase the funding for domestic intelligence gathering. On July 23, 1970, he approves the expanded plans per taining to this action but decides to cancel the plans a few days later. This move on Nixon's part starts a snowballing of events that spin out for control the next year. The president seemed to have been developing a growing distrust of the the people around him so much so that he no longer trusted anyone within his own political party and the opposition party as well. There was never any given psychological explanation for his actions and to this very day, the reasons for his actions at Watergate remain somewhat muddled although most experts tend to believe that the event was closely tied into his re-election campaign and black mail gathering moves. These politically motivated actions have led to the term Watergate as having to refer to political burglary, bribery, extortion, phone tapping,

The Acceptance of the Conspiracy Theories Assignment

The Acceptance of the Conspiracy Theories - Assignment Example The authors open their article by claiming that conspiracy theories are not only common in America, but also Americans highly believe them. The authors then proceed to explain the meaning of conspiracy theory. They define conspiratorial belief as strong conspiratorial belief of an individual in conspiratorial terms. Further, the authors explain two major predispositions, which drive the acceptance and belief of conspiracy theories. These include: Partisan and conspiratorial predispositions. In their finding, the authors conclude that conspiracy information significantly influences the thinking of the information receivers and that predispositions exist as concerns conspiratorial thinking.In the article â€Å"Dead and Alive: Beliefs in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories,† Wood et al. explore the beliefs that surround conspiracy theory. The authors begin by defining conspiracy theory, which they define as the secret collusion of influential people or organization to achieve some objective (1). The authors conduct two different studies to prove that conspiracy theory can result into a monological belief structure. According to the authors, conspiracy theories exhibit correlation with each other. They assert that even mutually incompatible theories of conspiracy exhibit positive correlation. As such, belief in one conspiracy theory relates to the beliefs in other theories. Further, the authors hold that coherence with undoubted worldviews leaves no or little for contradiction in personal beliefs.

Children's Social Behavior And Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Children's Social Behavior And Education - Essay Example It is natural that children have a tendency to revolt against social restrictions imposed on them. They usually have a tendency to only reluctantly submit to social conditioning that happens to them in early years. But in Samuel’s case, his behavior shows an upward trend towards socially unacceptable behavior which has reached a stage in which he might even lose his opportunity for education. It is in this context that Samuel’s behavior should be analyzed and remedies sought. The expectations that others keep regarding a child’s behavior is one factor affecting the behavior itself. There is also the danger of labeling Samuel as a â€Å"bad boy†, which might aggravate his situation (Mah 2007, pp.13). It seems that the English teacher of Samuel has already labeled him as a bad boy, which is evident from their mutual hatred. But this kind of labeling can have a seriously negative impact (Mah 2007). Labeling is also related to the language that is being used to describe a child who has some kind of behavioral problem (Lee 2010). Lee has opined that â€Å"the language used to describe behavior [†¦] can cause problems in schools† (2010, pp.5). Porter has observed, â€Å"issue with language is that terms such as ‘misbehavior’ or ‘inappropriate behavior’ do not specify to whom those acts are ‘inappropriate’ (2006, pp.4). Porter has also noted an important point when he said this kind of judgment of the child â€Å" implies that teacher’s judgment on this issue is sacrosanct† (2006, pp.4). It is also noted, â€Å"the implication is that, when there is a disruption in a classroom, the offending students are to blame-there is something wrong with them† (Porter 2006, pp.4). Factors like family, early years setting, living atmosphere and social attitudes and value systems have been found to affect children’s behavior in a given context (Papatheodorou 2005).

Macbeth And Jay Gatsby | Evaluation

Macbeth And Jay Gatsby | Evaluation Jay Gatsby and Macbeth are in many ways responsible for their own downfalls, though I believe that Macbeth contributes more directly to his downfall than the comparatively indirect actions of Gatsby. Both characters are in some ways also to blame for the demise of other characters and their unrealistic hopes, dreams and ambitions bring about their untimely death. Moreover, the influence of key characters, especially women, whom are associated with Macbeth and Gatsby contribute to some extent to the two protagonists downfalls. By records, Macbeth is thought to have been written by William Shakespeare around 1603 and 1607, during the reign of James I, who became king in 1603. James was one of Shakespeares playing companys patrons, The Lord Chamberlains Men, and this play shows Shakespeares thoughts towards the king. Fitzgerald began The Great Gatsby in June 1922. It was written and takes place during the Roaring Twenties in a post World War One America, described as a time when gin was the national drink and sex was the national obsession. The novel was finally finished and published in 1925. The presentation of Gatsby and Macbeth at the start of their stories to the reader are contrasting to that at the end. The fist mention of Macbeth at the start of the play is by witches. To the audience, this automatically associates Macbeth with evil and witchcraft. To amplify this connection, Macbeth is given similar lines to the witches, Fair is foul, and foul is fair (1:1:10) from the witches and So foul and fair a day I have not seen from Macbeth to Banquo. Yet Macbeth is described by the bloody captain as a valiant and brave soldier on the battlefield, like Valours minion (1:2:19) and whose sword smoked with bloody execution (1:2:18); showing that Macbeth is worthy of the name brave Macbeth (1:2:16). But through the play, the character of Macbeth gradually deteriorates into a frail, cowardly man who is profoundly disillusioned, totally in contrast to the portrayal of him by the bloody captain. A similar change occurs during The Great Gatsby, where initially the character of Jay Gatsby is portrayed by Fitzgerald as mysterious, and who represented to Nick everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. Throughout the novel, Gatsby comes across as forlorn and lonely, and this feeling of isolation is emphasised during Gatsbys party at the beginning of chapter three in which he invites other lonely aristocrats, in the off chance that Daisy might appear. Nick feels as though there is more to this man than the stories Gatsby tells him of a gallant war hero, saying that every Allied government gave him a decoration even Montenegro, whom earned millions in the liquor business. But Gatsby is only cheating himself as he lies about his past, his family and his travels around the world. As the story goes on, Gatsbys goal becomes ever clearer, eventually reaching a point in which is similar to that of Macbeth; pathetic, dishonest, and desperate. The influence of women in the characters lives contributes towards the initial rise and then breakdown of their hopes, dreams and ambitions. During The Great Gatsby, the influence of Daisy plays on Gatsbys mind until his death. In a past life, Gatsby and Daisy had very strong feelings for each other before she and Tom became married. These feelings have long since left Daisy yet she still has a strong influence in Gatsbys life bringing to light the ultimate reason for his downfall. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby waiting at his phone and lurking outside his house as a metaphor for his and Daisys relationship. Gatsbys feelings for her are not realistic or worthy but this is what drives him on through life and it comes across that he would do anything to have her love him again. Nick observes He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: I never loved you'. Nick states that Gatsby found what a grotesque thing a rose is, a rose usually being relating to beauty, which de spite Gatsby telling Daisy that he loved her for other reasons, would have effected Gatsbys thoughts towards Daisy. Macbeth, though initially worthy of his title of Thane of Cawdor, is ironically overwhelmed by the great power that his wife, Lady Macbeth, has upon him. She comes across as a very influential woman of great strength and determination as of act three scene two in which the viscous plan of convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan is masterminded. But around act three, scene two, Lady Macbeth undertakes a dramatic change to take the appearance of a friendlier character towards Macbeth. Her level of influence over Macbeth gradually deteriorates and the guilt manifests inside her, turning her mad, eventually leading to a break down when she commits suicide. To ensure and emphasise the hopes and ambitions of Macbeth, the witches also play a direct role in influencing Macbeth by creating a prediction of the future. An example of these predictions is the title of Thane of Cawdor that Macbeth is to receive All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee Thane of Cawdor! at which Macbeth replies in disbelief But ho w of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives. The witches also foresee Macbeth becoming king, which Macbeth uses to convince himself to make this happen. Ultimately the gradual decline of the characters leads directly onto their deaths. The way in which Macbeth falls is crucial to his isolation in the castle during the attack. The most significant factor to which contributed to Macbeths downfall was paranoia. The fact that Macbeth had committed treason by killing Duncan fed his paranoia and could only ensure his safety by more action. Macbeth was aware that Banquo could suspect him of committing this crime and could not afford to let him be which lead only to one conclusion, the death of him and his family. In this way Macbeth takes on a more tyrannical view towards those he believes might succeed or even kill him. By the attack of the castle near the end of the play, there are few who would stand for Macbeth during the battle. Shakespeare then gives the reader a sense for Macbeths situation using very poetic language in the unlikely situation of combat, I have livd long enough. My way of life is falln into the sere, the yellow leaf, and that which should accompany old age. This shows that Macbeth realises that he has brought about his own downfall, and realises that there is little or no point in trying to redeem himself of his sins other than being killed and therefore almost allows Macduff to kill him. But he is proud at death. In some ways, the way in which Gatsby falls is similar to that of Macbeth in the sense of dishonesty. Yet the most significant aspect of it is the continuing build up of lie upon lie by Gatsby to those around him and himself. His life and livelihood are based upon his hopes and ambitions of once again being together with Daisy. Gatsby does not really see Daisy for who she is, but has rather built up an idealistic image of her. This build up of lies leads Mr Wilson to believe that Gatsby is the one that is having an affair with Myrtle and to Tom implying that he ran her down in the street, and therefore these rumours lead Mr Wilson to kill Gatsby for what he thinks Gatsby has done. Gatsbys romantic feelings are lost for Daisy by her rejection, and so death is more or less accepted by Gatsby. For Macbeth, Banquo is another influence, but in contrast to the influence of the witches and Lady Macbeth. In act one, scene three, after the predictions of Macbeths future are made, the witches foresee the future for Banquo as well, comparing it to that of Macbeth Lesser than Macbeth, and greater, Not so happy, yet much happier and Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none Later in the play Macbeth portrays these predictions as a danger to his power, foreseeing them as a betrayal by Banquo. This fuels Macbeths paranoia and leads to the slaughter of Banquo and his family And the right-valiant Banquo walked too late; whom, you may say, ift please you, Fleance killed, for Fleance fled. This paranoia eventually leads to Macbeths downfall. Another influence in Gatsbys life is the mysterious character of Meyer Wolfsheim. The reader is not presented much about this character, but from Nicks observations we see that he has had business relations with Gatsby. From what we do know, he is involved in the liquor business, of which Gatsby also seems to be a part of. To Gatsby, Meyer Wolfsheim is his apparent mentor, who could possibly have influenced Gatsby into his business. But it becomes apparent that Meyer Wolfsheim is involved in illegal businesses, taking fixing the World Series for example, which brings to light the possible truth behind Gatsbys fortune. In summary, the similar effects of the characters allowing themselves be influenced by women, and the characters unrealistic and unworthy hopes, dreams, and ambitions are the ways in which they are responsible for and gradually lead to the deaths of other characters around them and to the downfall and eventual untimely demise of the characters themselves.

The Problem of Evil Essay -- essays research papers

Is there any satisfactory way of reconciling the existence of an omnipotent and all-loving God with the existence of natural evil (i.e. evil not due to the misuse of human free will)? One of the central claims of the Judaeo-Christian tradition is the existence of an omnipotent and all-loving God. Against this is the observation that people and animals suffer evil. By common sense, we would infer from this observation that God, as conceived in this tradition, does not exist - for, if He did, He would prevent the evil. This inference is called the Problem of Evil by those who profess one of the religions in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and their attempts to 'solve' the problem have given rise to a labyrinth of sophistry. Put briefly, the solution most commonly espoused to the Problem of Evil is * Some suffering is caused by others' misuse of their own free-will (as in murder). * God does not intervene to stop people freely choosing evil because: o people can be virtuous only if they freely choose between good and evil; o having virtuous people in the world is a greater good than eradicating evil; o therefore God must allow people to be free; o therefore evil inflicted by other people is the price that God demands that we pay to enable some people to be virtuous. * Some suffering is caused by natural phenomena (as in earthquakes). Such occurrences enable people to be virtuous through: o heroics, such as rescuing those in danger; o strong faith in God, as it is harder to believe in God in the midst of grief; o humility, as people realise they are powerless against the whim of God. * Again, God does not intervene because he is using the natural disasters to engender virtue. I shall examine a number of such arguments, but first it is useful to clarify the nature of such debate. The nature of theological debate One difficulty that arises in writing about this subject is that the traditional view of God is ridiculous - as Hume's Philo says, it is fixed only "by the utmost licence of fancy and hypothesis", and the arguments put forward for it are transparently fallacious. In order to proceed with the debate at all, one must feign a deficit in the application of one's powers of reason, for if one relied exclusively on reason for deciding what to believe, then one would dismiss religion out of hand. It is well known that people hold their... ...answers here. First, although the discharge of benevolent deeds is a good thing, it is not such a great thing that it is worth inflicting war, pestilence, and old age on mankind. Second, there are ample opportunities for people to do great works that do not involve other people's suffering. For instance, they could build concert halls, or run marathons, or make scientific discoverie, or write novels. The claim that great human achievements can be secured only through other people's misery is an expression of pure evil, and not an argument for a benevolent God. Conclusion The existence of evil (natural or otherwise) in the world cannot possibly be reconciled with the existence of an omnipotent and all-loving God. If such a God existed, He would prevent the occurrence of such evil. This is therefore a definitive proof of atheism, in the sense of denying the existence of God as He is conceived in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. It must be admitted, though, that this conception of God is a sharply-delineated and simplistic one, whereas many people nowadays have a 'soft-focus' God. It is harder work for the atheist to refute the soft-focus God, although it can still be done.