Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Scarus opinion of Antony Essay Example for Free

Scarus opinion of Antony Essay Scarus explains that Antony left in the height of the battle to chase after Cleopatra. Scarus opinion of Antony is now that of a coward, we know this because he calls him a mallard; this is a wild duck that chases after the female, who in this case is Antony is going after Cleopatra.  Scarus then goes on to say that he had never seen such shame, which surprises him because it came from Antony, who has been described as a triple-pillar of the world. This is very significant because Antony shows how much love he has for Cleopatra. The fact that he would flea a battle at it most significant stage, to risk being called a coward, shows just how much he loves Cleopatra. And also, that he would leave a battle, and risk it being lost, just so he could go after Cleopatra, this shows how loyal he has become to both Cleopatra and Egypt.  Scarus says that the experience of great wars and battles, a mans pride and honour and a mans manhood, had never been violated in such a way before. The fact that he would leave a battle which Rome is fighting, a place that means so much to him, to chase after a woman, is so out of character, this shows his once great love for Rome is now a low priority compared to Cleopatra. Octavia, who is Antonys wife, is another main character of the play. She is associated with gentle, natural phenomena, which means crying in the play. It is also clear that Octavia highlights the nature and importance of the argument between Caesar. As Octavia is Antonys wife and naturally sees her goodness.  Also, Agrippa has an opinion of Octavia; it is that because she is so beautiful and elegant, she has managed to attract the best possible man. Agrippa also says:  Whose virtue and general graces speak.  Agrippa is saying that Octavia has qualities and virtues which no other woman has. Enobarbus also has an opinion of Octavia, he says;  Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still conversation.  He is saying that Octavia is boring and religious, which Enobarbus sees as being a downside to her personality. He says that she has still conversations, which means that she is quiet and does not speak much to others. Antony calls Octavia a swansdown feather, he is trying to imply that Octavia is like a feather on a river, and can not decide upon which way to go. Antony means that Octavia is weak against himself and she will agree or do anything that Antony says.  It is clear from Shakespeares play, that there are many opinions of Antony, some of which are good and in his favour and others that are bad and against him. However, there are characters in the play that have in one scene said nothing but good comments and later on in the play, say nothing but bad remarks about Antony, it may not always be clear what causes the characters to change their opinion, but it usually has something to do with Antonys love for Cleopatra. It is obvious that Antony is an excellent soldier and Roman, especially when it comes to wars and battles. But, when it comes to deciding upon Rome or his love life, he is not so certain, and is usually disliked for his decision by his fellow Roman soldiers.  Discuss the Importance of the Comments Made By Other Characters in the Presentation of Antony

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Loneliness of Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

The Loneliness of Hamlet Hamlet was a lonely, isolated character, with few friends, and little faith in humanity. His loneliness played a great role in his downfall, by alienating him from his friends and family and eventually taking control of his actions. He did not share the knowledge of his father's murder or the appearance of the ghost with anyone. He couldn't even trust his friends and family, and he hid his true feelings from his only love, Ophelia, driving her to suicide. These events lead eventually to his downfall, and could have been avoided by sharing his dilemma. Two of Hamlets friends, Horatio and Marcellus, were standing watch at the castle one night when they witnessed the first apparition of the ghost of Hamlet's father. They decided to confide in their friend, and tell Hamlet of what had taken place. The following night, the three of them all stood watch to wait for the ghost. It appeared, and informed Hamlet that his uncle, Claudius, had murdered his father. Immediately following this, Hamlet declared that the event must be kept in secrecy "Never make known what you have seen tonight (I;v;144)." In order to prove the validity of the ghost, Hamlet would have to find proof of his father's murder, without sharing his ideas with anyone. He decided to make believe he was mad, so that the members of the king's court could excuse his behavior as he plotted his revenge. However, as he kept to himself, he became overwhelmed by his "madness" and fell into a deeper state of loneliness, ignoring those close to him, as he contemplated the value of l ife. "...it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire-why it appears nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors...(II;ii;289)" As Hamlet tried to prove the murder of his father and have his revenge, Claudius discovered that Hamlet knew the truth. Claudius hired two of Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet in secret, "...be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no (II;ii;278-79)." Later on, Claudius and Polonius, the father of Ophelia, also spied on Hamlet when he was with Ophelia, trying to discover the cause of his madness "Ophelia, walk you here.

Monday, January 13, 2020

High School Life Essay

High school is a place where young teens learn to become mature and responsible. It is a place where students get trained to take on bigger challenges in life. Obstacles such as college. From my own personal experiences, high school didn’t seem that way. Students were more concerned about getting a passing grade then about what they were taught. They would even cheat their way out of high school. This would prepare them for college. My freshman year of high school, I was in a totally different place and it seemed quite interesting and fascinating at first. As the year passed by, I started to notice the techniques students were using to pass classes. It was something I didn’t see while I was in junior high school. Students were cheating on almost all the tests. They would bring little print-out cheat sheets to class to use on the tests. Hardly anyone got caught by the teacher. When students did get caught, all they would do is deny and usually the teacher would just let them get away with it. As Casey Banas wrote in â€Å"Why Students Are Turned Off?† â€Å"I sometimes estimated that half to two-thirds of a class cheated on a given test,’ Glanz said. ‘Worse, I’ve encountered students who feel no remorse about cheating but are annoyed that a teacher has confronted them on their actions† (Banas 659). Cheating seemed like the popular thing to do and if you didn’t cheat you would be considered real foolish.. Everyone in the class knew what was going on and it was basically a whole class effort to cheat. Students would discuss what the answers were before taking the test and give each other opinions on how to cheat safely. When the test came back, every student in the class would have a real close score, but the teachers didn’t seem to notice anything at all. Most of the students that go into a certain class usually wouldn’t even know what went on even after the class has ended. As Casey Banas wrote: â€Å"The teacher is convinced that the subject matter is worth knowing, but the student may not agree. Many students, Glanz said, are not convinced they need to know what teachers teach; but they believe good grades are needed to get into college†¦.(Banas 659) These kids could literally just sit there for forty-five minutes daydreaming. I find that many students feel the classes are extremely boring and is of no use to them in the future. I always used to ask myself â€Å"Why do I need to know this stuff for?†. When students feel this way, they don’t do the work because they don’t think they need it in life. When I used to go to high school, my whole class would get assignments and home works and about almost three-fourths of the class didn’t do it. Instead they would wait until someone who was paying attention and did do the assignment to come along and let them copy the assignment. They would do it in way that the teacher wouldn’t even know by slightly changing some words here and there. After that, that paper gets passed around the entire class to the students who didn’t do the assignment and everyone would have a slightly different paper. This way all the students hand in the assignment and will get a passing grade, but did they even learn anything?. These techniques that were used in the high school that I attended did work and a lot of students graduated from high school using these techniques. I, myself, used these techniques and got through my freshman year. As time went on I found that high school was really boring so I decided to cut and eventually dropped-out of school. These students got good grades and did all the assignments, but the truth is, they didn’t learn much at all. They can have a 85 average and get into a good college, but will they be prepared enough to survive college level work? I don’t think so.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Converse History The Story of the Iconic Chuck Taylors

Converse All Stars, also known as Chuck Taylors, are casual shoes that have played a significant role in pop culture for decades. Initially designed as a basketball shoe in the early 1900s, the soft cotton and rubber-soled style has remained largely unchanged for the last century. Did You Know? Chuck Taylors were the official shoe of the Olympic Games from 1936 to 1968. Meet Chuck Taylor Converse All Star sneakers were first released in 1917, and basketball star Charles â€Å"Chuck Taylor became a Converse shoe salesman in 1921. Within a year, he inspired a restyling of the brands basketball shoe, which led to the nickname Chuck Taylors. Converse also added Taylors signature and the all-star patch to the side of the shoe as a reference to the athlete who inspired them. During this period, the Converse All Star was primarily a basketball shoe, and Taylor advertised it as such. He traveled across the United States conducting basketball clinics in order to sell the athletic shoes. In fact, Converse All Stars were the official basketball shoe of the Olympic games for over 30 years. Later, during World War II, they were the official athletic shoe of the U.S. armed forces. Chuck Taylors became the choice shoe for general athletic events, from gym class to professional powerlifting. Converse Goes Casual By the end of the 1960s, Converse was responsible for 80% of the sneaker market as a whole. This shift to casual sneakers solidified Converse All Stars as a cultural icon of the people, not just the athletic elite. Though the initial Chucks were in the classic black and white, they became available in a litany of colors and designs as well as limited and special editions. The shoe also diversified its textures to be available in suede and leather along with the original cotton style. Converse All Stars began to lose their dominance in the 1970s when other shoes, many with better arch support, created competition. Soon, elite athletes stopped sporting All Stars. However, Chuck Taylors were quickly picked up by artists and musicians as a symbol of the underdog. The character Rocky Balboa wore Chucks in the movie Rocky, and the Ramones frequently sported Chucks because they were inexpensive. Elvis Presley, Michael Meyers, and Michael J. Fox all wore Chucks in their films, further marketing the sneaker as a shoe for young rebels. The cheap sneakers became a symbol of U.S. subcultures as the retro look fit the grungy style of the punk rock era. Nike Buys Converse Though Chuck Taylors were incredibly popular, Converse’s business was failing, leading to multiple claims of bankruptcy. In 2003, Nike Incorporated bought Converse for $305 million and recharged the business. Nike brought Converse’s manufacturing overseas, where the majority of other Nike products are produced. This move decreased the production costs and drove up Converse’s profits. Chuck Taylors Today High-top and low-top Chuck Taylors remain popular. In 2015, Converse released a collection of Chuck Taylors inspired by Andy Warhol—a significant choice, as Warhol is famous for his pop art depictions of U.S. popular culture. In 2017, the Chuck Taylor Low Top shoes were the second best selling sneaker in the U.S. and have historically consistently been within the top ten best sellers. The affordability of the shoe is a large part of its popularity, but the marketing and history of the sneakers as a facet of pop culture give it staying power.