A critical discussion of the urban experience in relation to the issue Essay

A critical discussion of the urban experience in relation to the issue of gender - Essay Example ‘Men and women’s conception, experience, and use of urban space is different’ (McDowell, 1983: 59). Bondi claims that ‘urban space creates, imposes, reflects and distinguishes divisions between men and women’s experiences, control and use of public and private spaces in urban environments’ (1998: 161). The study of gender and geography has, since the late 1970’s been interested in the differing experiences of men and women in the city. For example, feminist geographers including McDowell (1983) and Darke (1996) have investigated how land use in the city has impacted on the way men and women live their lives, and how the role of gender impacts on the day to day experiences of men and women within the urban environment. This essay aims to explore how gender roles are played out within urban spaces. ‘Women writing on cities have arrived at differing conclusions’ (Darke, 1996: 88). Wilson (2001) for example experiences cities as exciting and liberating public environments and an escape from patriarchal imposed identities. However, she also acknowledges that ‘in recent years feminist have argued that there could never be a female flanuer†¦urban scene was at all times represented from the point of view of the male gaze: in painting and photographs men voyeuristically stare, women are passively subjected to the gaze’ (Wilson, 1992: 56). The differing viewpoints between feminist geographers themselves highlight the complex nature relating to studying gender in the urban environment. ... Male domination led to men being the rulers, decision makers, generals and cultural leaders. Women were often subjected to domestic roles, hidden from public space. The introduction of women’s voting rights and gender equality laws went some way to rebalance gendered experience of the city as the 20th Century drew to a close. ‘However, even though legal barriers to women’s access to jobs and particular buildings have been removed, women are still excluded and made to feel uncomfortable in public space’ (Darke, 1996: 92). For example, Cockburn (1983) highlights how women receive not so subtle behavioural signals that tell them they are trespassing on the territory of men, e.g. wolf whistles on the street, sexual harassment in the work place and street posters depicting half naked women. Various authors including Darke (1996: 88) and Lewis et al (1989: 215) have highlighted that zoning patterns, based on stereotypical gender roles have created divisions betwe en gendered experiences of the city, in which men control public space, hence becoming more specialised and important components of identity in the public sphere, whilst women are confined to private spaces. This is emphasised by Bondi ‘an important association remains between masculinity, public space and the city, on the one hand, and between femininity, private space, and the suburbs on the other hand’ (1998: 162). The ‘city of zones’ therefore compartmentalises activities such as work, leisure, travel and home life. Women are primarily seen as wives and mothers, whilst men are viewed as the breadwinner, whose job it is to go out into the public realm to earn a living and provide for ‘his family’. Darke’s (1996)

What Makes It An Imagist Poem English Literature Essay

What Makes It An Imagist Poem English Literature Essay When one thinks of the conventions associated with a rose they think of love. This is the symbol a rose endeavours. However this meaning is not static and for many a rose symbolises many different things. In literary convention terms a rose is associated with delicate love, appreciation, romance, beauty and roses portray the positive feelings inside one. There are many different rose colours each portraying a certain meaning and in each case a positive meaning. While bearing these conventions associated with a rose in mind I am going to analyse H.D.s Sea Rose. H.D was a literary woman of the twentieth century who became profoundly interested in the imagist movement. H.D is a modernist poet and one can see from reading her poetry that there is strong feminist principles expressed throughout. Her poems came too early for an audience who were not ready to respond to these feminist principles (Pound, 1997-2010). One can characterise H.Ds poetry by the strength of her images, economy of language and use of classical methodology (Pound, 1997-2010, http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/234). The poetic form of imagism is clearly seen in H.Ds poems. Imagism was a huge part of modernist writing, it is a literary movement launched by British and American poets early in the 20th Century that advocated the use of free verse, common speech patterns, and clear concrete images as a reaction to Victorian sentimentalism (LoveToKnow Corp, 1996). H.D.s poem the Sea Rose can be seen as an imagist poem due to its expression of visuals images throughout the poem . These visual images can be seen through the clarity of expression throughout the poem. Imagism poetry aimed to replace muddy abstractions with exactness of observed detail, apt metaphors, and economy of language (Pound, 1997-2010, http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5658). This new movement of imagist poetry has had a huge impact on many poets throughout the 20th Century. H.Ds Sea Rose poem is about much more than a rose. It reveals to the reader that one should look through the image to see the eternal condition and this is what imagist poets write about. The literary conventions that one associates the rose such as soft and the typical red rose of romanticism is not the same here, its not a soft rose but instead harsh(1), its not sweet like one would expect a rose to be but instead its acrid (15). Throughout the poem we are not told of the colour of this rose or indeed of any colour. One could say through this poem H.D is saying there is no exact meaning of a rose and that these symbols that one associate with a rose are not exact, however instead the rose itself defies its own symbolic representation. One can see the poetic form of imagism throughout the poem through H.Ds observed detail of the rose. This rose is a clear exposition of a single flower from the garden. As stated by Nelson the short, carefully measured free verse lines, together with the slightly archaic (though still direct) diction and the insistence on the sparseness of the flower tend to give the poem a simplicity and solidity, a feeling of the visual or sculptural realness of the sea rose-Sea Rose could almost be a poem of image and little more. (Nelson, 2000) Gender is also prevalent throughout Sea Rose. One could say that the first few lines of the poem symbolises the non-conforming woman of the twentieth century- the rose is harsh (1) and living on the boundaries of different worlds. There is a gender issue present, if one was to perceive this rose as the twentieth woman who was primarily a housewife and mother and only part of the private sphere but who is fighting to enter the public. When bearing this in mind, one can see the rose as been a metaphor for the movement of women into the public sphere and then one can see that the rose is portraying the rough time that women of this era have to go through to seek this independence, similar to the rose who is having a rough time caught between the sand and water. Just like the rose is caught in a drift (8) between the sand and water so too are these women caught in the drift (8) of a masculine society. The environment which this rose is placed is not stable as the tide it is constantly mo ving. The rose is been moved around by the sand which is been moved about by the sea. This can be seen as H.D portraying society, everyone is been flung (10) about by these more dominant forces which one can interpret as male forces. To me these dominant forces can be perceived as the patriarchal male society of the time. This is an imagist poem where nature is predominant, the climate in which surrounds the rose is not welcoming crisp sand that drives in the wind (12-13) just as society of the time is not welcoming of women entering the public sphere. The rose is in isolation single on a stem (7), alone in the wilderness. The rose can be seen as an allegory of a woman who too is similar to this rose who is alone in the wilderness and caught between two worlds. Through this analyse I hope I have conveyed that there is a deeper hidden meaning to be seen in H.Ds poem Sea Rose and given thought you a thought of what H.D may be trying to portray through this poem. While there are many different perceptions to be gotten from Sea Rose it is clear that H.D is talking about much more than a just a rose and instead the deeper meaning can be seen when one studies the object in isolation.

Media :: essays research papers fc

Media Awareness The case that I decided to focus on is an older abuse case, but it has recently been resolved in the courts. It is a child abuse case involving James and Bonnie Zeleski. They were both charged with abusing their infant daughter. The child was brought to the hospital with a fracture in each leg, a fracture in each arm, a thigh fracture, three broken ribs, a ripped esophagus, pneumonia, malnourished and several other cuts and bruises. The girl was transferred to an Omaha hospital. The father, James, was charged on June 3, 1998 with Class 4 Felony Child Abuse. His wife, Bonnie, was later charged and convicted of a Class 3 Felony. James was sentenced to three years probation and six months in jail. His wife was sentenced to 15 to 18 months in prison. I think that this case was fairly portrayed by the media. I know at the time, there were several letters to the editor and opinion printed on the subject, but the Grand Island Independent seemed to be fair and stick to the fa cts. It was a horrible crime and I think they did a good job being unbiased. I think that it is a good idea to publicize crimes like this. From my other studies, I have learned that the informal sanctions, public humiliation and shame, are far more effective than the formal sanctions in preventing crime. When people who are having a hard time dealing with being a parent see something like this in the media, they may stop to think about their actions. A good idea would be to run several articles on where parents can go to for help. The combination of the two, may help prevent this from happening to another child. As a mother I have a definite interest in this crime. I cannot even begin to understand how anyone could do something like that to someone so helpless. I am also interested in this case from the legal perspective and how the case was resolved in the court system. I personally think that the sentencing was very lenient. I think this is a good activity. I studied journalism fo r a while and I am very aware of how the media can distort a situation.

Larkin – a look at the mood poems were written in by Larkin

Larkin is an established poet and was cherished by people all around the world. He won the respect of many readers, critics and non-critics. He was gifted in his writing and through this gift he bought us the poems we have today. Larkin therefore can be said to be a memorable poet and this will now be investigated. How is he memorable? And what makes him memorable? To start the investigation off I am going to look at the mood poems were written in by Larkin. Each poem is set in its own mood and the mood can help the reader to understand the poem. â€Å"Dockery and Son† is the first poem. It is about Larkin going to a funeral and remembering one of his university colleagues called Dockery. Larkin has found out that his son now attends the university and this leads on to the general image of the poem. â€Å"†¦In '43, when I was twenty-one. If he was younger, did he get this son At nineteen, twenty? Was he that withdrawn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Larkin page 152 Dockery and Son) This quote shows the awe that Larkin shows at this point in time. The poem was written in a sad mood as it is a remembrance poem. He then continues the poem in much the same way showing his point of view and talking about a popular concept for him, life. â€Å"Life is first boredom, then fear. Whether or not we use it, it goes†¦..† (Larkin page 153 Dockery and Son) Life is a matter that Larkin talks about a lot of the time. Whether in high spirits or in low. Therefore the next poem I will look at is â€Å"High Windows†. This is yet another example of Larkin's preoccupation with the disappointing nature of experience, which I have illustrated for Dockery and Son. High Windows is the culmination of Larkin's disappointment. He says that as age comes along, fantasies from the younger years of a person's life, seem to disappear as well. â€Å"I know this paradise Everyone old has dreamed of all their lives- Bonds and gestures pushed to one side Like an outdated combine harvester,† (Larkin page 165 High Windows) In this poem, Larkin is emphasising to what extent he feels cheated by his experience of life. However, although Larkin is dissatisfied with what his generation has been allowed, he looks at how life treated those who were old when he was young. As Larkin looks at the freedom given to the generation which has succeeded his own in the poem â€Å"High Windows†, he is confronted with an optimistic image of endlessness. This is yet another one of his popular subjects and does also occur quite frequently in his poems. It can be seen from the above examples and quotes, that Larkin writes poems that have certain moods and thoughts behind them. This is an important factor for a poet and this helped Larkin to be remembered in the way that he is today. Another matter that could help to see why Larkin is such a memorable poet is whether or not he is arrogant in his poems. Some say that he is and others disagree. Hence I will investigate another few poems to see if he is or is not. The poem I am going to look at to start this part off is â€Å"The View†. This is a poem looking on life from the elderly person's point of view. Larkin says in this poem that life doesn't turn out to be what you expected when you were younger. It changes and becomes drear: â€Å"What's left is drear. Unchilded and unwifed, I'm Able to view that clear: So final. And so near.† (Larkin page 195 The View) He does not appear to be arrogant in this poem. He seems very modest, as can be seen from the quote, and he also is being realistic. This brings about the idea that Larkin is not arrogant. To end this part of the investigation off, I shall look at another poem called â€Å"Wild Oats†. This is about two young women walking into Larkin's workplace and he looking at them in amazement. One in a beautiful â€Å"English rose† , the other a â€Å"friend in specs†. Larkin finds that he can talk to and go out with the one with specs. â€Å"But it was the friend I took out, And in seven years after that Wrote over four hundred letters Gave a ten-guinea ring†¦.† (Larkin page 143 Wild Oats) He does everything with her but still has a â€Å"crush† on the â€Å"English Rose†. This leads the girlfriend of his to then say to him: â€Å"That I was too selfish, withdrawn, And easily bored to love.† In all I can say that Larkin is not an arrogant poet from the poem that I have read. I can say that sometimes, when he doesn't understand something, he might knock it down a little but does actually respect it. Finally I will look at if Larkin keeps his life hidden. In his poems he talks a lot about life events and things that are not fiction. He therefore brings his life into the poems that he writes but does not base the whole poem upon these happenings. From the quotes listed above, it is possible to say that life is an important factor in his poetry and it is because of the realism that is involved in his poems, that he is such a memorable poet. Larkin writes from different perspectives and he does so well. He will write a poem to reflect a mood or an experience that might occur in life. To write a poem on this is what forms the base of a real ingenious poet and Larkin is this in my opinion. Therefore I join in saying that Larkin is made a memorable poet and am happy to agree with that statement overall.

The Themes and Techniques of the Nunnery scene in Hamlet Essays

The Themes and Techniques of the Nunnery scene in Hamlet Essays The Themes and Techniques of the Nunnery scene in Hamlet Paper The Themes and Techniques of the Nunnery scene in Hamlet Paper Essay Topic: Literature The Sound and the Fury Hamlets true motives are questionable before he even enters into this fierce confrontation with Ophelia and by the time he storms out of it, we, the reader or audience, are left with very few answers. His manner, in particular his melancholy mood, has been affected by so many factors beforehand that it is almost impossible to source his outburst from any one of them in particular. His mother has remarried too quickly, his father has been recently murdered, he hates his uncle and perhaps most significantly he should be king. His depressing situation has led him to consider suicide and it would appear that Ophelia, although not completely free of blame herself, is the unfortunate scapegoat upon which Hamlet has decided to vent his fury. This conversation, closely watched by Claudius and Polonius, is, in fact, a test. Its supposed to establish whether Hamlets madness stems from his lovesickness over Ophelia or from the death of his father or indeed from one of the many other tragic elements of his predicament. The scene centres around one main dramatic element; does Hamlet know that he is being watched and, if so, at what stage of the scene does he become aware of this? Ophelias first line Good my lord, how does your honour for this many a day? reeks of incompetence and suspicion. The nature of the greeting and the formal manner with which the line is said would arouse the suspicion of Hamlet instantly. It can also be interpreted as Ophelias way of sending a subtle warning to Hamlet or simply an example or Ophelia following Daddys instructions. Hamlets reply on Line 92 is equally formal perhaps he is mocking her and has already detected the unnatural atmosphere filling the room? Line 93 moves away from the formal tone as Ophelia brings up the subject of returning Hamlets love gifts. I have remembrances of yours that I have longi d long to re-deliver, has been clearly rehearsed with the alliterated l and the assonance on the o sound giving Hamlet a massive indication as to the fact that he is being set-up. It is at this point that some productions would decide to make this realisation clear; as done in a Russian version film adaptation directed by Grigori Kozintsev which was released in 1962. In this particular interpretation, Hamlet knocks the said remembrances out of Ophelias hand and onto the floor in a fit of rage as he says No, not I, I never gave you aught. In other productions, as in Kenneth Branaghs 1996 release, the line is said with the simple blunt, dismissive tone with which it is written. Line 93 also raises the question of Hamlets antic disposition it is possible that he is aware of Claudius and Polonius presence in the room and is simply going along with their theory of his madness by denying the fact that he ever gave Ophelia gifts in the first place. If so, this is a canny move to disorientate them. Hamlet may also want to disorientate Ophelia because he is suspicious of her odd behaviour without specifically being aware of the eavesdroppers. It would appear that the value of these presents has deteriorated due to Hamlets lack of love and Shakespeare has emphasised this point particularly well with the use of a rhyming couplet on Lines 100 and 101. This too is ironic because the text suggests that the remembrances had been given to Ophelia while Hamlet was reciting poetry, so this is therefore a snide, below the belt comment that will have had the desired impact. However, this methodical approach is not something that Hamlet would expect from Ophelia and again it sounds rehearsed. Line 103 Ha, ha, are you honest is where the subject and the dramatic dynamics of the scene change. Hamlet goes on the attack his sarcastic tone has come out of the blue, but with Claudius and Polonius watching on, it is, however, impossible to know whether this is genuine or just another attempt to disorientate and go along with his supposed antic disposition. He accuses Ophelia of being corrupt like all women, and, suddenly, Hamlet begins to use certain elements of his depressing life to make his point effectively. He suggests that beauty and virtue are closely linked together and in many productions, as in the Laurence Olivier production of 1948, Hamlet goes on a physical as well as verbal attack of Ophelia often portrayed as helpless. Hamlets disillusion with women almost certainly stems from his mothers actions with his Uncle Claudius; however it is apparent that he once had genuine love for Ophelia as demonstrated by Line 114. This poignant moment in the scene reveals a sense of regret on Hamlets part and leaves Ophelia feeling very vulnerable at this stage. Hamlet continues to emphasise his distrust of women by claiming Ophelia has betrayed him and that she has given in to temptation. In fact, he goes on to say that he himself is a sinner and that all human beings are born into sin; which is a contradiction to what he has just said. It is fair to say, therefore, that Hamlets depressing stance on human beings has been influenced by the corruption in his own life. Ophelia is sometimes portrayed as slightly more aggressive than is described as in the text; as done in Franco Zefirellis 1990 version where Helena Bonham Carter stands up for herself when saying the Line I was the more deceived. On the other hand, this could be seen as another feeble comment that has very little significance in the scene. At this point, however, Hamlet is back on the attack again. This change of dynamics leads him to exploit Ophelias weaknesses. He tells her to go to a Nunnery, which could have been interpreted in two different ways at the time. Hamlet could either be ordering his supposedly deceitful girlfriend to a convent, so she will be protected from the horrible world surrounding them, or to a brothel, because she is corrupt like humanity. Either meaning makes complete sense and is therefore ambiguous; another technique used to tow the line of his antic disposition or indeed his genuine madness. If Hamlet intended to use the latter meaning, he is being extremely insulting to the woman he is supposed to be in love with. It also implies that female sins take the form of sex and that she is weak and open to temptation. This is particularly clever because nunnery is common Elizabethan slang. Hamlets antic disposition first mentioned in Act 1 Scene 5 is a dominant theme in not just this scene but throughout the whole play. He could actually be mad; he has seen the ghost of his father, he has had suicidal tendencies, his friends are spying on him and there is great pressure on him to carry out his revenge. Ophelias betrayal another key theme is also very important. Hamlet blames Ophelia for his madness, supporting Polonius theory that he is love sick, and this could have driven him to a bizarre mental state. Or, he could be both sane and mad at the same time. His antic disposition could be a cover for revenge but while putting on this guise Hamlet may have even convinced himself that he is insane. He could also be genuinely divided; there is great conflict in his life and this could lead him to flash in and out of madness. Corruption is something that is clearly playing on Hamlets mind throughout this scene and it is clear that the recent murder of his father and the swift replacement of him as King by his uncle is becoming too much to handle. However this sequence of events, or at least similar ones, was not uncommon in the Elizabethan world. At the time, incestuous marriages and relationships were widely debated but not as frowned upon as they are now although Hamlet clearly takes the latter view. Hamlets rant continues; he has talked himself into a fit of rage and is almost always portrayed as violent by this stage of the scene to the extent that he is coming across as genuinely mad. He says it would have been better if he himself had not been born; further adding to the aura of insanity surrounding him. He talks about how his revengeful thoughts may have made him stoop to the same level as Claudius and that his proud and ambitious personality has contributed to this. Line 125-126: We are arrant knaves all, believe none of us sums this up particularly well. Perhaps at this point in the scene comes the moment where Hamlet finally comes to a self-realization that the conversation if being overheard unless that happens much earlier on in the scene. Some productions, as in Kenneth Brannaghs, use loud rustling as a rather unsubtle way of drawing Polonius and Claudius to Hamlets attention, whereas in the Lawrence Olivier version, Hamlet is virtually left to pick up on Ophelias body language alone to detect their presence. At this point Ophelia lies. She has gone past a point of no return and Hamlet knows this she has chosen her father and the King over him. Her response to the question Wheres your father? is At home my Lord and although Hamlet knows this is a lie, he decides not to confront her about it. Instead, he uses this as an opportunity to make a bitter, aggressive and public threat to Polonius and Claudius. In fact, Hamlet goes a step further and begins to break off his relationship with Ophelia. He says that bringing more children into the world would be committing more sins and rules out the possibility of marriage his public threat then comes, with him that he will leave all others alone, except Claudius, who he intends to kill. A sane Hamlet would perhaps have left things there, and it is clear that one part of him wants to with the fact that he says Farewell for a third time. However, he continues his onslaught of abuse on Ophelia by saying that she will not escape malicious lies as it is part of her nature, even if she comes across as innocent and virtuous. He says Get thee to a nunnery for the fourth time to emphasise his point further before storming out. Hamlets antic disposition was questionable at the beginning of the scene and is even more so by the end of it. He is clearly love sick because of the frequent contradictions he makes during his break-up speech to Ophelia, yet he sees his once virtuous girlfriend being tarnished by the corruption he sees around him and his desperation for revenge. That, however, does not make him a madman and although it is impossible to know for certain, it would appear that the Nunnery Scene in Hamlet is where all the depressing elements and themes of his life come to a head and that Ophelia is the unfortunate and convenient scapegoat upon which he releases all of his anger.

Power in Pop essays

Power in Pop essays In response to Rosss argument, I feel as if popular music is able to become popular through its production. By using catchy beats and choruses they are able to convey messages that are true to their beliefs and also to the beliefs of other peers. One compelling example is R. Kellys recent release I wish, where he stylizes his lyrics around a flowing melody that circles a catchy chorus of childrens voices chanting, I wish. However, where most pop music seeks to convey a message about some universal topic, R. Kellys I wish takes advantage of the pop genre in order to define his personal struggle with confronting the reality of death. In my opinion, being able to express to the world your personal feelings and beliefs, and to actually have the world listen, conveys an exceptional amount of power. In fact, some pop singers gain more power and respect from a larger part of the population than most world leaders. Being that the genre is geared towards people between the ages of 10-25, a large percent of the population is affected by the massages that pop singes express through their lyrics. This message is ultimately received after the group or solo artist gains the respect of the listeners. This respect can be achieved in a variety of ways. The three most outstanding ways are defined below. Often times an artist is discovered through the endorsements by another, more popular artist. This case is most evident when looking at Eminem, who owes much of his popularity to his mentor, Dr. Dre. Another one of the ways to advance status is by being recognized by a major record label. This element has a positive effect on th e production quality, which is another factor that can help one achieve popularity in this business. Although the label youre on is a causal variable in your production quality, the 2 factors are on necessarily correlated. In fact, it is possible ...

Moon Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Moon Journal - Essay Example The moon takes about 24 hours and 49 minutes to cross the sky. Because of this, the moon rises and sets later than the previous day and it does this for around 27 days when it has finished one revolution, and it goes back to rising sun  setting at the initial times. The moon does not give off its own light; but instead reflects suns light.  Ã‚  The phases of the moon are as a result of the different parts of the moon that reflect the sun’s light as it revolves the earth. The shape changes from a new moon to a full moon. The order is as follows: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent then new moon. The moon seems larger than the stars and even the sun, but this is due to the fact that the moon is our closest neighbour in space. In fact, the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon. The moon does not have any life form and has extreme temperatures compared to the earth (Chancer and Zodron