Postmodernism and Politics Essay Example for Free

Postmodernism and Politics Essay Postmodernism has revealed how science has been political largely because of how postmodernism approaches science, for instance. Postmodern thought does not consider the scientific method as the sole basis for determining the truth or understanding the world as there are many other approaches which, for all we know, may also be more or less valid (Cole, Hill Rikowski, 1997, p. 189). In doing so, postmodernism views the scientific method as one of the reasons why science has dominated not only the academic circles but the bastion of human knowledge in its entirety. Basically, anything that has been established by the methods of science has been collectively understood as the truth or the closest that we can get to truth (Mirchandani, 2005, p. 93). The result is simply staggering—science has become power itself in shaping the course of human civilization. One example is how the development of the atomic bomb through careful scientific research and experiment has led the way to the contemporary proliferation of nuclear power. Countries have become all the more powerful because of their possession of nuclear armaments that could easily wipe away the threats to their sovereignty. Another example is the way in which science has created technological means for hastening the production and distribution of goods across geographical boundaries. The scientific advancement in terms of cyber technology and the internet has contributed to the increase in the capabilities of local and global businesses. In effect, large corporations have gained more ways to expand their wealth and, therefore, their influence over governments. Postmodernism has made all of these circumstances clearer than before although critics point out that postmodernism merely reveals the power of science and the other ways of explaining why science has gained such wide influence over various societies (Lee, 1999, p. 744). In essence, postmodernism has revealed the breadth of the influence and power of science over humanity inasmuch as science has largely contributed to the assimilation of political power and force over the years. Other ways may be developed in explaining how science has behaved in more recent times in changing the political landscape of the world, but postmodernism will agree that those ways do not necessarily stand of lesser significance than the scientific approaches. References Cole, M. , Hill, D. , Rikowski, G. (1997). Between Postmodernism and Nowhere: The Predicament of the Postmodernist. British Journal of Educational Studies, 45(2), 187-200. Lee, J. (1999). The Utility of a Strategic Postmodernism. Sociological Perspectives, 42(4), 739-753. Mirchandani, R. (2005). Postmodernism and Sociology: From the Epistemological to the Empirical. Sociological Theory, 23(1), 86-115.

Fortunato is Fortunes Fool in The Cask of Amontillado Essay -- Edgar

Fortunato, Fortune's Fool Who was Fortune's Fool? The answer to that question would be Fortunato. Fortunato is a character in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." Fortunato has wronged Montresor, the narrator of "Cask." The reader can't trust Montresor because he is an unreliable narrator, so the reader can't say for a fact that Fortunato had wronged Montresor. Montresor then seeks revenge on Fortunato. During carnivale season, Fortunato is drinking all types of wine. Montresor knows Fortunato is drunk so he goes to Fortunato and tells him he has Amontillado. Fortunato wants the Amontillado so much, that he is willing to do anything for it, that leads him to his death. Montresor brought Fortunato into the catacombs, chained Fortunato to the wall, walled Fortunato up, and Fortunato was dead. Actually he wasn't dead right then and there. Montresor walled Fortunato up alive, so Fortunato can suffer much pain, then die, die a helpless man. Fortunato was a fun loving/outgoing, alcoholic, boastful/prideful man. Dressed as a jester at the carnivale, Fortunato was getting drunk. He drank and chatted with many people. Fortunato was a very fun-loving and outgoing man, ?He had a weak point- this Fortunato- although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared.? Montresor calls him respected, this shows that Fortunato was a man who many liked, making them respect him. The fear, as the reader might suspect, is that he prides himself too much in his knowledge of wine. Another fear, as the reader can assume, may be that he can get too outgoing. His drinking problems probably make him very distraught and obnoxious. Montresor knows that Fortunato is very outgoing, and that he aims and shoots fo... ...haracteristics bring about Fortunato?s fortune. He was fortune?s fool. His fortunes catch up with him and lead to a bad consequence, Fortunato?s death. If Fortunato wasn?t so enthusiastic when it came to wines, he may have realized Montresor was going to do something bad. If Fortunato wasn?t an alcoholic, he wouldn?t have been drunk. If he wasn?t drunk, he may have known that Montresor was going to hurt him. Finally, if Fortunato wasn?t boastful and prideful, he wouldn?t have wronged Montresor at all. And if he never had done some sort of wrong to Montresor, he wouldn?t be dead. In summary, if Fortunato didn?t have those 3 characteristics, he wouldn?t be dead, and Montresor would have never said he had been ?wronged.? Unfortunately Fortunato was Fortune?s Fool. For his fortune favored him. Fortune was God?s gift to the fools, which is why fortune favors the fools.

Othello as a Tragic Hero Essay

One of the most obvious focal point of disagreement about Othello is whether Othello was a tragic hero or not according to the classic conception of a tragic hero; whether his characterization, personal attributes make him fall into the domain of Aristotelian concept of tragic hero; Whether or not he possessed a tragic flaw. To Swinburne, Othello was â€Å"the noblest man of man’s making†. (Swinburne)But T. S. Eliot, on the other hand spoke unfavorably of his â€Å"cheering himself up†, (153) and came out with a celebrated critical term â€Å"Bovarysme†. Robert H.  Heilman (1956) comes very close to restating the Eliot position when he says; â€Å"Othello is the least heroic of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes. † (p. 166) The identification of Othello’s hamartia differs from reader to reader and from critic to critic. Some critics are of the view that excessive Egotism and self-confidence of Othello remain the main cause of his tragedy. He harbors unjustified suspicions against Desdemona. He had a trustful nature and he is thorough in his trust of Iago. (Bradley, 1965. p. 213. Jealousy overpowers him and he lacks self-control. It is hardly likely that even a combination of all these would be equal to what Aristotle considered to be a serious hamartia, and he exhibited any of the failing mentioned above. It would hardly be logical to say that the Othello was punished for crime in the yes of the divine. Another view is that the present failings of Othello may be taken to means that he was he was always like that, and his tragedy comes due some inherent or innate unsoundness in his character. However we get no indication of this in the play. The conception of the tragic hero that we gather from Aristotle’s Poetics is that he is a highly esteemed and prosperous man who falls into misfortune because of some serious hamartia i. e. tragic flaw. Aristotle gives the example of Oedipus and Thyestes, which means that according to him, it was Oedipus’ hamartia that was directly responsible for his fall. Although the meaning of hamartia is far from certain, its most frequent applications is in the sense of false moral judgment, or even purely intellectual errors. Among Greeks no sharp distinction between the two existed. It is generally believed that according to Aristotle the hamartia off Oedipus consists in some moral faults and it has been tried to identify various moral faults in Oedipus. Othello also possessed these moral flaw and his tragedy only comes due to these moral flaws, So according to Aristotelian conception, Othello is a tragic hero as he is a larger than life character and has tragic flaws that bring his destruction. Distinguished Professor Butcher has identified four possible range of meaning of Aristotle‘s Hamartia i. . tragic flaw. The foremost of these connotations is an error due to unavoidable ignorance of circumstances whereas an error caused by unawareness of conditions that might have been identified and for that reason to some extent morally blameworthy is another manifestation of the sense in which the term hamartia was used by Aristotle. The third sense is â€Å"A fault or error where the act is conscious and intentional, but not deliberate. Such acts are committed in anger or passion. Where as fourth one is â€Å"A fault of character distinct, on the one hand, from an isolated error, and, on the other, from the vice which has its seat in the depraved will†¦a flaw of character that is not tainted with a vicious purpose. † This essay will try to analyze all these manifestation of tragic flaws present in the character of Othello to manifest that he was a tragic hero. The character of Othello possesses an aura of personality that makes him distinguished as well naive and unrefined as compared with other characters in the play and other Shakespearean protagonists. That is the sole reason that why he fell a prey to Iago’s plot. Iago told Roderigo, â€Å"O, sir, content you. I follow him [Othello] to serve my turn upon him â€Å"(I, i lines 38-9). Iago explains that only follow Othello to certain extent. A rudimentary supposition is that as the murder of Othello’s wife Desdemona is the result of deceitfulness of Iago, so himself remained a victim to the evil genius of Iago. Othello’s wrath was a product of his impulsiveness, the inherent flaw in his character, but that was utilized and triggered by the machination of Iago. The offense of Iago – to conspire the demise of the Moor – is worse since it is embedded in a shrewd mind with organized attempt whereas the wrongdoing of Othello was the result of his naivete. He was blindfolded by a thorn in the heart and mind. But his sin can not be justified only on this ground as there were various methods to check the blameworthiness. However, it can be illustrated that Othello permitted himself to be influenced by Iago’s proposition of the unfaithfulness of Desdemona. Iago only provides a justification that was needed by Othello. Some critics are of the view that Desdemona’s murder is an outcome of Othello’s excessive arrogance and his impulsiveness to decision-making. A. C. Bradley ponders over the dispositions and nature of Othello and says in this regard; â€Å"The sources of danger in this character are revealed but too clearly by the story. In the first place, Othello’s mind, for all its poetry, is very simple. He is not observant. His nature tends outward. He is quite free from introspection, and is not given to reflection. Emotion excites his imagination, but it confuses and dulls his intellect. On this side he is the very opposite of Hamlet, with whom, however, he shares a great openness and trustfulness of nature. In addition, he has little experience of the corrupt products of civilised life, and is ignorant of European women. † (p. 217) Despite this major flaw, he possessed some distinct personality traits. His has the capacity to build positive and reciprocal relationships and to take a number of steps to persuade. He possesses the capability to tailor an approach to appeal to the needs of a particular audience and an example of this relationship building is his genuine companionship with Iago. But again this trait of Othello is used against him as Iago takes advantage of his trust and design more evil plots against him. Although Othello possesses some evil propensities but he is capable of preventing these base and evil instincts to dominate him. In order to locate the degree and gravity of his sins, his motives fro his evil actions must be taken into consideration. It can be argued that his sins are product of weak mental faculties and some inherent flaws in his character. It was further enhanced by the manipulation of Iago instead of his pride. His action of murdering Desdemona was also not due to deficiency of confidence as he was a strong leader as manifested by his ability to command military and various other states affairs. But his leadership does not mean that he was forfeited against personal fantasies and whims of imagination. Othello’s basic dilemma was that he was in a totally new socio-cultural milieu. He was in a new city with a new bride who was graceful and young. Furthermore, Othello was in deep love with her does not know her well. He was uncertain about Desdemona decision to select him as her husband, and can only comprehend one clarification, â€Å"She lov’d me for the dangers I had pass’d. † (I,iii,167) He is aware of the prevailing environment of prejudice and bias in Venice and without doubt must inquire why Desdemona would against her own norms and values and associate white Venetians by marrying an outsider. All these added suspicion in his minds before Iago begins his conniving plot. Although Desdemona was an epitome of love and care for her, but his preconceived notions cannot enable him to believe in her love unreservedly. His response to his skeptic mind is to put Desdemona on a pedestal, making her an â€Å"emblem of purity and trustworthiness† ‘Tis not to make me jealous/ To say my wife Is fair, feeds well, loves company, Is free of speech, sings, plays, and dances well. / Where virtue Is, these are more virtuous. Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw/ The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt, For she had eyes, and chose me. (3. 3. 180) Othello arrived at the conclusion that Desdemona’s consideration and virtue only capacitated her to feel affection for the unlovable — an unstable culmination originating from his low self-worth. When Iago cast away this fictitious idealism with his evil designs, he is merely strengthening what Othello considers profoundly to be thoroughly possible i. e. that Desdemona could love another man. Iago is on hand to verify Othello’s primary doubts: Ay, there’s the point! as (to be bold with you)/ Not to affect many proposed matches/ Of her own clime, complexion, and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends †¦ Her will, recoiling to her better judgement,/ May fall to match you with her country forms, / And happily repent. (3. 3. 228) So all these facts, arguments and supported evidence clearly manifest that Othello was a lager than life character and his tragic flaw contributes toward his tragedy. It is both an amalgam of self-infliction and circumstances beyond his control. He is a noble character but when things go wrong and pressures builds up, Othello’s inadequacies are revealed like the cracks in the dam. This makes him a tragic hero according to very conception of Aristotle. A. C. Bradley refutes the point of view that Othello was not noble and has no characteristics of a tragic hero. He is of the view; This character is so noble, Othello’s feelings and actions follow so inevitably from it and from the forces brought to bear on it, and his sufferings are so heart-rending, that he stirs, I believe, in most readers a passion of mingled love and pity which they feel for no other hero in Shakespeare, and to which not even Mr Swinburne can do more than justice. Yet there are some critics and not a few readers who cherish a grudge against him. They do not merely think that in the later stages of his temptation he showed a certain obtuseness, and that, to speak pedantically, he acted with unjustifiable precipitance and violence; no one, I suppose, denies that. (p. 221)

ESL Relationship Vocabulary Worksheet

There are all kinds of human relationships and these relationships will play a role in your discussions. This page will help you explore a variety of relationships including romantic relationships, your friends and family, and relationships at work. Start off by learning new vocabulary in groups and then applying that vocabulary in sentences, gap fills and conversation. Learning Vocabulary Discuss with your partner each of the vocabulary words and phrases below. Try to use each vocabulary item in a sentence. Romance - Peoplecasual / steady dateboy/girlfriendsignificant otherhusband / wifelovermistressunrequited lovelove-interestExamples:My date was late for the dance!Feel free to bring along your significant other to the party Romance - Eventsdateone night standflingengagementmarriagebreakupseparationdivorceExamples:Tom and Bettys marriage is inspiring!Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce. Romance - Verbshave a crush ondateflirt withgo out withbreak up withlive togethermarry / get marriedExamples:Peter flirted with Maria during the class.Helen went out with Andrea for more than three years. Friends / Enemies - Peoplegood / close / best friendenemycompanionacquaintanceplatonic relationshiprivalnemesisExamples:Were not dating. We have a platonic relationship.My rival in tennis beat me last week. Friends / Enemies - Verbscompete withget along withhit it off withgang up ontrust / distrusthang out withExamples:Peter and Alan hit it off at the meeting last week.I like to hang out with Carl on the weekends. Work - Peoplecoworkercolleaguebusiness partnerbossdirectorcustomerclientmanagementstaffExamples:The director sent a memo out to staff.My coworker got married last weekend. Work - Eventsmeetingpresentationinterviewsales callconventionExamples:Alexander made a presentation at the convention last week.I have a meeting at three oclock this afternoon. Work - Verbsdo business withmeetschedulecontactdelegatecompete withbe responsible forpresentapologize toExamples:James is responsible for sales in California.Lets schedule a meeting next week. Family - Peoplemother / father / brother / sister in-lawuncleauntcousinblood / distant relativesExamples:I dont often see my distant relatives.Her mother-in-law drives her crazy! Family - Eventsweddingreunionget togetherfuneralholidayExamples:Its funny how we only see distant relatives at weddings and funerals.We had a nice family get together last weekend. Family - Verbsget along withrebel againstargue withhave a good relationship withobey / disobeypunishemulatelook up toExamples:She looks up to her father. The children disobeyed their parents and were punished. Vocabulary Worksheet Exercise 1 Use a word or phrase to fill in the gaps. Each word or phrase is used only once. love-interest, blood, nemesis, friendship, love, crush, casual, distant, unrequited love, acquaintance, steady, business partner Love is very different from _______. If youve got a _______ on someone you cant wait to see them. If its just an ________ you can probably wait until tomorrow or the day after. One thing is for sure: Youll probably see your ______ relatives every day! Luckily, you dont need to see your _______ relatives quite as often, though. When it comes to business, youll probably see your _________ daily, but youll stay away from ________ as often as you can. Lets face it: ______ is complicated. Ive heard from a number of people who have experienced _____________, and theyre never the same! There are also all kinds of considerations. For example, if youve had a _______ date, do you want to go out again? Are you tired of your ________ date? Well, maybe its time for a new __________! Exercise 2 Use a verb to fill in the blanks in the sentences. Remember to conjugate the verb depending on the situation, and dont forget your prepositions! My nemesis and I _______________ each other on a daily basis!I can remember the first time I met my wife. We ____________ immediately and life was never the same.Students who __________________ their parents after the age of 30 are ridiculous.I __________________ my father for my whole life. Hes a wonderful example of a kind-hearted person with good judgement.Yesterday, she ________________ her colleague for criticizing her work. She said she was very sorry.Ever since he ____________ Angela, hes been a changed man!Mary ________________ her boyfriend last week. She couldnt stand his complaining anymore.They _____________________ for more than twenty years. They see no reason to get married. Worksheet Answers Exercise 1 friendshipcrushacquaintanceblooddistantbusiness partnernemesisloveunrequited lovecasualsteadylove-interest Exercise 2 compete withhit it offlive withhave looked up toapologized towent out withbroke up withhave lived together