wisdom,humor and faith - 19596 Words

WISDOM, HUMOR, AND FAITH: A HISTORICAL VIEW Walter G. Moss Table of Contents (with links) Walter G. Moss 1 Table of Contents (with links) 1 Wisdom, Perspective, and Values 2 Humor’s Contribution to Wisdom 4 Humor and Wisdom in Europe: Some Highlights 5 Renaissance Humor: Erasmus, Rabelais, Cervantes, Shakespeare 5 Two European Russians: Anton Chekhov and Vladimir Soloviev 9 Reflections on Humor from Nietzsche to the Theatre of the Absurd 12 Humor and Wisdom in the United States: Lincoln, Beecher, Twain, Sandburg, and Buchwald 17 From The Times (of London) obituary on him (January 19, 2007) that mentioned his â€Å"wit and wisdom† in its title, available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1294342.ece. 24†¦show more content†¦. . . The inner directedness that Maslow noted is a key feature of wisdom. It arises, in part, from acquiring new, more helpful perspectives.†2 Wise perspectives are dependent on wise values. As Macdonald has written, â€Å"Wise values express themselves in wise attitudes and wise ways of being and functioning.† Among the wise values he mentions that relate to perspective are creativity, serenity, humility, clarity about what is, empathy, insight, intuitive understanding, patience, reality, self-awareness, and truth.3 Another prominent wisdom researcher, Robert Sternberg, believes that â€Å"people are wise to the extent that they use their intelligence to seek a common good. They do so by balancing, in their courses of action, their own interests with those of others and those of larger entities, like their school, their community, their country, even God.† In fostering wisdom, Sternberg also thinks it is important to teach people to see â€Å"things from others’ perspectives as well as one’s own,† to tolerate â€Å"other people’s points of view, whether or not one agrees with such views.† He refers to this approach as his â€Å"balance theory of wisdom.† He also believes that many â€Å"smart and well-educated people† lack wisdom because they â€Å"are particularly susceptible to four fallacies,† which he labels the egocentrism, omniscience, omnipotence, and invulnerability fallacies. All four are tied up with too big an ego and with overestimating their own importance and powers.4Show MoreRelatedI consider Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 to be one of the most700 Words   |  3 Pagescontinue to mature in life. He encourages students to pursue their dreams and not be discouraged by failures they might experience in life. Jobs starts his speech with humor. He said, â€Å"I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest Ive ever gotten to a college graduation,† this statement instantly added an element of humor to his speech and this was well observed by the audience. The opening statements of the speech automatically lightened the mood. Steve jobs’ introduction appealsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Hound Of Heaven 1167 Words   |  5 PagesI ascribe to the sentiment of Jonah. I supplicate to God to elect someone else. I rationalized I could consign to oblivion this invitation. I would just persevere in my path and he would forget about me. Considerably, God has a droll sense of humor. I would circumnavigate back to the same crossroads again and again and again. I reminded of the Francis Thompson’s fateful poem of The Hound of Heaven where the Lord never ceases in His hunt for him. The last parry commenced when on the televisionRead MoreSummary Of Morrie s Greatest Quality943 Words   |  4 Pagesfriends throughout his life. His final desire to perpetuate the acts of his life by having a book written demonstrate his willingness to continue giving and reiterate the success of his life’s review. Even though wisdom is difficult to define, most people have general idea of what wisdom entails (Hooyman, N.R. Kiyak, H. A.,2011). Morrie Schwartz was a wise individual. Throughout his conversations with Mitch Albom, he never actually tells him things directly instead guides him with his talks of pastRead MoreModern Codes of Chivalry831 Words   |  4 Pagesopen minded to other cultures and practices. â€Å"Dignity, a gracious manner, and a good humor are much to be admired.† This code reminded the knights that they should present themselves well so that others will respect them. Nowadays, if a person has a good head on their shoulders, has manors and has a good sense of humor and others will like them. â€Å"As a Knight, thou haste power, and thy powers wax strongly as wisdom increases. Therefore exercise discretion in the use thereof.† This code is translatedRead More Books Will Never be Replaced Essay examples1692 Words   |  7 Pagesthe tangible reincarnation of an author that allows us to believe it will continue to be revered and regarded even in our age of computerized information? How can we be sure that, just as the clay tablet gave way to the scroll and bound book, the faith we have placed in paper editions will not be improved upon with the microchip? It may be that for all our attempts to squeeze and shrink information into screens, to encapsulate a world of knowledge into the size of a suitcase, to create a communicationsRead MoreMonkey Is A Classic 18th Century Chinese Folk Tale1237 Words   |  5 Pagesnovel Monkey as archaic misfit for a screenplay, these romantic critics are often too dogmatic in their provincial ideologies. Several themes are evident throughout the course of this novel, especially the power of grit and tenacity, perseverance, and faith, that define the novel in its pervading thirst for optimism. The vivid imagery used to display the intricate and detail oriented journey makes the novel Monkey, more alluring and captivating as an adventure story too. These qualities make the novelRead MorePerennial Wisdom Healing Grace For Personal And Planetary Evolution1500 Words   |  6 PagesShamanism Today: Perennial Wisdom Healing Grace for Personal Planetary Evolution. By Oscar Miro-Quesada, M.A., Psy. ET. Today’s shaman leaves new footprints on paths of psychic awareness and spiritual wisdom that are over thirty thousand years old. Shamanism is a millennial tradition of healing, power and wisdom that sees all of life as interconnected and sacred. Material and spiritual worlds interpenetrate one another, and the shaman’s path lies in attaining a life of harmony with both.Read MoreThe Decay Of The Human Mentality837 Words   |  4 Pageswith the degraded present; it is, rather, a timeless simultaneous awareness of moral grandeur and moral evil† (Davies). He uses the period after World War I as the setting for this poem in order to portray the need for even the slightest amount of faith or hope for redemption, â€Å"The Waste Land expresses with great power the disenchantment, disillusionment, and disgust of the period after World War I. In a series of vignettes, loosely linked by the legend of the search for the Grail, it portrays a sterileRead MoreMaya Angelou994 Words   |  4 Pages She rose up in the face of adversary and succeeded in making a life for herself. Her numerous accomplishments testify to this fact. She did not come from a promising background, but she defied all the odds. During her childhood, she absorbed the faith and values of a traditional African American family such as love and respect for one another. She refused to back down from a challenge. She provides an excellent example of a strong, confident African American woman. She is not ashamed of where sheRead MoreSchool To Complete Before My Dream Came True, I Also Realized1703 Words   |  7 Pagesdidn t shake my father s faith. As we were participating in an old Polish custom, the blessing of the Easter baskets on Holy Saturday, my father carried our basket of food into the church hall like Rockefeller himself. As we left the hall following the ceremony, my father, aware of my concern over his new dilemma, put his hand on my shoulder, smiled, and said, Don t worry, Peter, this too will pass. I never had much faith in things political, but I had enormous faith in my father. As I left Wilkes-Barre

Analysis Of The Poem The Old People And A Drink Of...

Montague and Heaney both write about their observations on old age. Compare and contrast two poems, one by ach poet, taking account of the methods which each poet uses to write about old age. Both ‘Like Dolmens Round My Childhood, The Old People’ by John Montague and ‘A Drink Of Water’ by Seamus Heaney deal with the theme of old age in a rural Irish environment. ‘A Drink of Water’ tells the story of woman who Heaney sees collecting water from the well on his family land. Heaney then goes on to compare the older woman to the literal water pump she collects from, and comments on how this can be related to the theme of the poetic process itself. Montague takes a different approach to theme of old age. He reminisces on the elderly people who filled his childhood, and comments on the difference between his feelings about the old people when he was a child, and his feelings now that he has matured and grown up. The poet’s use of structure is very important. Heaney’s use of a traditional sonnet form in ‘A Drink of Water’, but then personalises it. It could be said that he uses a traditional poetry form to emulate the traditional views of the woman in the poem, as can be seen from ‘Remember the Giver’ that is inscribed on her cup. Montague uses a series of vignettes in order for the reader to get to know the older people. Through these vignettes, the reader is allowed an insight into these people’s lives. Both poems are highly personal, and this is portrayed in the tone. ‘LikeShow MoreRelatedMaya Angelou: A Model Woman Through Influential Literature Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pagestoday. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. Her most influential work comes from her extraordinary books and poems. Her literature has influenced the young and old with their contents. Maya Angelous literary significance rests primarily upon her exceptional ability to tell her life story as both a human being and a black American woman. She is best known for her series of six autobiographicalRead MoreCombined Experience of Suffering, Death and Love all at Once1541 Words   |  7 PagesPeoples’ personal life experiences usually affect the topic of their work. John Keats was a famous poet who grew up in an idyllic life until tragedy continuously stroked until his death at twenty-five years old. At eight years old, his father died in a tragic riding accident. Six years later, his mother died of tuberculosis (TB). In the midst of his troubles, his teacher strongly encouraged his reading and literacy ambitions. Living next to an insane asylum, Keats eventually started to developRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1529 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of the setting of the poems â€Å"The Love song of J. 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Maya then returned to Arkansas spending years livin g as a mute. When Maya was a teenagerRead MoreAllen Ginsberg, A Supermarket in California Literary Analysis1669 Words   |  7 PagesJasamyn Wimmer English 1B Professor Kleinman 5 March 2013 Brief Literary Analysis Lost America: An analysis of â€Å"A Supermarket in California† Allen Ginsberg; philosopher, activist, poet, a man highly revered as a groundbreaking figure between the 1950’s Beat Poetry Generation and the counter-cultural revolution of the 1960’s (poetryarchive.org). Ginsberg’s first book â€Å"Howl and Other Poems,† was published in 1955, his work was involved in an illustrious obscenity trial because of the use ofRead MoreComparing Beowulf And The Wife Of Bath1553 Words   |  7 Pageswere thought of as being superior to women. In the fourteenth century women played roles that made them feel superior over males. Both poems illustrate how women were used as symbols by powerful men to support their nobility. The opposing dynamics of the feeble women in Beowulf and the powerful women in The Wife of Bath Tale are clearly expressed between the two poems. In Beowulf, during the Anglo-Saxon era, men considered themselves to be superior and authoritative over women. They believed femalesRead MoreStylistic Analysis10009 Words   |  41 Pages repetition in poems by D.H. Lawrence and H.W. Longfellow†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7-12 1.2. Lingvo-stylistic potential of D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"Don’ts†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12-14 1.3. The main stylistic-semantic features of H.W. Longfellow’s poem â€Å"The Song of Hiawatha† (Introduction)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...14-18 Chapter 2. Romantic and lyrical figure of Robert Burns†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦18 2.1. General stylistic features of R. Burns’s poem â€Å"My Heart’s in the Read MoreEssay on Eco-Poetics Reading in The Wate Land by T.S. 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A Game of Thrones Chapter Twelve Free Essays

string(100) " anxious to earn a royal pardon that would allow him to return from exile,† Robert explained\." Eddard The summons came in the hour before the dawn, when the world was still and grey. Alyn shook him roughly from his dreams and Ned stumbled into the predawn chill, groggy from sleep, to find his horse saddled and the king already mounted. Robert wore thick brown gloves and a heavy fur cloak with a hood that covered his ears, and looked for all the world like a bear sitting a horse. We will write a custom essay sample on A Game of Thrones Chapter Twelve or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Up, Stark!† he roared. â€Å"Up, up! We have matters of state to discuss.† â€Å"By all means,† Ned said. â€Å"Come inside, Your Grace.† Alyn lifted the flap of the tent. â€Å"No, no, no,† Robert said. His breath steamed with every word. â€Å"The camp is full of ears. Besides, I want to ride out and taste this country of yours.† Ser Boros and Ser Meryn waited behind him with a dozen guardsmen, Ned saw. There was nothing to do but rub the sleep from his eyes, dress, and mount up. Robert set the pace, driving his huge black destrier hard as Ned galloped along beside him, trying to keep up. He called out a question as they rode, but the wind blew his words away, and the king did not hear him. After that Ned rode in silence. They soon left the kingsroad and took off across rolling plains dark with mist. By then the guard had fallen back a small distance, safely out of earshot, but still Robert would not slow. Dawn broke as they crested a low ridge, and finally the king pulled up. By then they were miles south of the main party. Robert was flushed and exhilarated as Ned reined up beside him. â€Å"Gods,† he swore, laughing, â€Å"it feels good to get out and ride the way a man was meant to ride! I swear, Ned, this creeping along is enough to drive a man mad.† He had never been a patient man, Robert Baratheon. â€Å"That damnable wheelhouse, the way it creaks and groans, climbing every bump in the road as if it were a mountain . . . I promise you, if that wretched thing breaks another axle, I’m going to burn it, and Cersei can walk!† Ned laughed. â€Å"I will gladly light the torch for you.† â€Å"Good man!† The king clapped him on the shoulder. â€Å"I’ve half a mind to leave them all behind and just keep going.† A smile touched Ned’s lips. â€Å"I do believe you mean it.† â€Å"I do, I do,† the king said. â€Å"What do you say, Ned? Just you and me, two vagabond knights on the kingsroad, our swords at our sides and the gods know what in front of us, and maybe a farmer’s daughter or a tavern wench to warm our beds tonight.† â€Å"Would that we could,† Ned said, â€Å"but we have duties now, my liege . . . to the realm, to our children, I to my lady wife and you to your queen. We are not the boys we were.† â€Å"You were never the boy you were,† Robert grumbled. â€Å"More’s the pity. And yet there was that one time . . . what was her name, that common girl of yours? Becca? No, she was one of mine, gods love her, black hair and these sweet big eyes, you could drown in them. Yours was . . . Aleena? No. You told me once. Was it Merryl? You know the one I mean, your bastard’s mother?† â€Å"Her name was Wylla,† Ned replied with cool courtesy, â€Å"and I would sooner not speak of her.† â€Å"Wylla. Yes.† The king grinned. â€Å"She must have been a rare wench if she could make Lord Eddard Stark forget his honor, even for an hour. You never told me what she looked like . . . â€Å" Ned’s mouth tightened in anger. â€Å"Nor will I. Leave it be, Robert, for the love you say you bear me. I dishonored myself and I dishonored Catelyn, in the sight of gods and men.† â€Å"Gods have mercy, you scarcely knew Catelyn.† â€Å"I had taken her to wife. She was carrying my child.† â€Å"You are too hard on yourself, Ned. You always were. Damn it, no woman wants Baelor the Blessed in her bed.† He slapped a hand on his knee. â€Å"Well, I’ll not press you if you feel so strong about it, though I swear, at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.† The rising sun sent fingers of light through the pale white mists of dawn. A wide plain spread out beneath them, bare and brown, its flatness here and there relieved by long, low hummocks. Ned pointed them out to his king. â€Å"The barrows of the First Men.† Robert frowned. â€Å"Have we ridden onto a graveyard?† â€Å"There are barrows everywhere in the north, Your Grace,† Ned told him. â€Å"This land is old.† â€Å"And cold,† Robert grumbled, pulling his cloak more tightly around himself. The guard had reined up well behind them, at the bottom of the ridge. â€Å"Well, I did not bring you out here to talk of graves or bicker about your bastard. There was a rider in the night, from Lord Varys in King’s Landing. Here.† The king pulled a paper from his belt and handed it to Ned. Varys the eunuch was the king’s master of whisperers. He served Robert now as he had once served Aerys Targaryen. Ned unrolled the paper with trepidation, thinking of Lysa and her terrible accusation, but the message did not concern Lady Arryn. â€Å"What is the source for this information?† â€Å"Do you remember Ser Jorah Mormont?† â€Å"Would that I might forget him,† Ned said bluntly. The Mormonts of Bear Island were an old house, proud and honorable, but their lands were cold and distant and poor. Ser Jorah had tried to swell the family coffers by selling some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver. As the Mormonts were bannermen to the Starks, his crime had dishonored the north. Ned had made the long journey west to BearIsland, only to find when he arrived that Jorah had taken ship beyond the reach of Ice and the king’s justice. Five years had passed since then. â€Å"Ser Jorah is now in Pentos, anxious to earn a royal pardon that would allow him to return from exile,† Robert explained. You read "A Game of Thrones Chapter Twelve" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"Lord Varys makes good use of him.† â€Å"So the slaver has become a spy,† Ned said with distaste. He handed the letter back. â€Å"I would rather he become a corpse.† â€Å"Varys tells me that spies are more useful than corpses,† Robert said. â€Å"Jorah aside, what do you make of his report?† â€Å"Daenerys Targaryen has wed some Dothraki horselord. What of it? Shall we send her a wedding gift?† The king frowned. â€Å"A knife, perhaps. A good sharp one, and a bold man to wield it.† Ned did not feign surprise; Robert’s hatred of the Targaryens was a madness in him. He remembered the angry words they had exchanged when Tywin Lannister had presented Robert with the corpses of Rhaegar’s wife and children as a token of fealty. Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war. When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, â€Å"I see no babes. Only dragonspawn.† Not even Jon Arryn had been able to calm that storm. Eddard Stark had ridden out that very day in a cold rage, to fight the last battles of the war alone in the south. It had taken another death to reconcile them; Lyanna’s death, and the grief they had shared over her passing. This time, Ned resolved to keep his temper. â€Å"Your Grace, the girl is scarcely more than a child. You are no Tywin Lannister, to slaughter innocents.† It was said that Rhaegar’s little girl had cried as they dragged her from beneath her bed to face the swords. The boy had been no more than a babe in arms, yet Lord Tywin’s soldiers had torn him from his mother’s breast and dashed his head against a wall. â€Å"And how long will this one remain an innocent?† Robert’s mouth grew hard. â€Å"This child will soon enough spread her legs and start breeding more dragonspawn to plague me.† â€Å"Nonetheless,† Ned said, â€Å"the murder of children . . . it would be vile . . . unspeakable . . . â€Å" â€Å"Unspeakable?† the king roared. â€Å"What Aerys did to your brother Brandon was unspeakable. The way your lord father died, that was unspeakable. And Rhaegar . . . how many times do you think he raped your sister? How many hundreds of times?† His voice had grown so loud that his horse whinnied nervously beneath him. The king jerked the reins hard, quieting the animal, and pointed an angry finger at Ned. â€Å"I will kill every Targaryen I can get my hands on, until they are as dead as their dragons, and then I will piss on their graves.† Ned knew better than to defy him when the wrath was on him. If the years had not quenched Robert’s thirst for revenge, no words of his would help. â€Å"You can’t get your hands on this one, can you?† he said quietly. The king’s mouth twisted in a bitter grimace. â€Å"No, gods be cursed. Some pox-ridden Pentoshi cheesemonger had her brother and her walled up on his estate with pointy-hatted eunuchs all around them, and now he’s handed them over to the Dothraki. I should have had them both killed years ago, when it was easy to get at them, but Jon was as bad as you. More fool I, I listened to him.† â€Å"Jon Arryn was a wise man and a good Hand.† Robert snorted. The anger was leaving him as suddenly as it had come. â€Å"This Khal Drogo is said to have a hundred thousand men in his horde. What would Jon say to that?† â€Å"He would say that even a million Dothraki are no threat to the realm, so long as they remain on the other side of the narrow sea,† Ned replied calmly. â€Å"The barbarians have no ships. They hate and fear the open sea.† The king shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. â€Å"Perhaps. There are ships to be had in the Free Cities, though. I tell you, Ned, I do not like this marriage. There are still those in the Seven Kingdoms who call me Usurper. Do you forget how many houses fought for Targaryen in the war? They bide their time for now, but give them half a chance, they will murder me in my bed, and my sons with me. If the beggar king crosses with a Dothraki horde at his back, the traitors will join him.† â€Å"He will not cross,† Ned promised. â€Å"And if by some mischance he does, we will throw him back into the sea. Once you choose a new Warden of the East—† The king groaned. â€Å"For the last time, I will not name the Arryn boy Warden. I know the boy is your nephew, but with Targaryens climbing in bed with Dothraki, I would be mad to rest one quarter of the realm on the shoulders of a sickly child.† Ned was ready for that. â€Å"Yet we still must have a Warden of the East. If Robert Arryn will not do, name one of your brothers. Stannis proved himself at the siege of Storm’s End, surely.† He let the name hang there for a moment. The king frowned and said nothing. He looked uncomfortable. â€Å"That is,† Ned finished quietly, watching, â€Å"unless you have already promised the honor to another.† For a moment Robert had the grace to look startled. Just as quickly, the look became annoyance. â€Å"What if I have?† â€Å"It’s Jaime Lannister, is it not?† Robert kicked his horse back into motion and started down the ridge toward the barrows. Ned kept pace with him. The king rode on, eyes straight ahead. â€Å"Yes,† he said at last. A single hard word to end the matter. â€Å"Kingslayer,† Ned said. The rumors were true, then. He rode on dangerous ground now, he knew. â€Å"An able and courageous man, no doubt,† he said carefully, â€Å"but his father is Warden of the West, Robert. In time Ser Jaime will succeed to that honor. No one man should hold both East and West.† He left unsaid his real concern; that the appointment would put half the armies of the realm into the hands of Lannisters. â€Å"I will fight that battle when the enemy appears on the field,† the king said stubbornly. â€Å"At the moment, Lord Tywin looms eternal as Casterly Rock, so I doubt that Jaime will be succeeding anytime soon. Don’t vex me about this, Ned, the stone has been set.† â€Å"Your Grace, may I speak frankly?† â€Å"I seem unable to stop you,† Robert grumbled. They rode through tall brown grasses. â€Å"Can you trust Jaime Lannister?† â€Å"He is my wife’s twin, a Sworn Brother of the Kingsguard, his life and fortune and honor all bound to mine.† â€Å"As they were bound to Aerys Targaryen’s,† Ned pointed out. â€Å"Why should I mistrust him? He has done everything I have ever asked of him. His sword helped win the throne I sit on.† His sword helped taint the throne you sit on, Ned thought, but he did not permit the words to pass his lips. â€Å"He swore a vow to protect his king’s life with his own. Then he opened that king’s throat with a sword.† â€Å"Seven hells, someone had to kill Aerys!† Robert said, reining his mount to a sudden halt beside an ancient barrow. â€Å"If Jaime hadn’t done it, it would have been left for you or me.† â€Å"We were not Sworn Brothers of the Kingsguard,† Ned said. The time had come for Robert to hear the whole truth, he decided then and there. â€Å"Do you remember the Trident, Your Grace?† â€Å"I won my crown there. How should I forget it?† â€Å"You took a wound from Rhaegar,† Ned reminded him. â€Å"So when the Targaryen host broke and ran, you gave the pursuit into my hands. The remnants of Rhaegar’s army fled back to King’s Landing. We followed. Aerys was in the Red Keep with several thousand loyalists. I expected to find the gates closed to us.† Robert gave an impatient shake of his head. â€Å"Instead you found that our men had already taken the city. What of it?† â€Å"Not our men,† Ned said patiently. â€Å"Lannister men. The lion of Lannister flew over the ramparts, not the crowned stag. And they had taken the city by treachery.† The war had raged for close to a year. Lords great and small had flocked to Robert’s banners; others had remained loyal to Targaryen. The mighty Lannisters of Casterly Rock, the Wardens of the West, had remained aloof from the struggle, ignoring calls to arms from both rebels and royalists. Aerys Targaryen must have thought that his gods had answered his prayers when Lord Tywin Lannister appeared before the gates of King’s Landing with an army twelve thousand strong, professing loyalty. So the mad king had ordered his last mad act. He had opened his city to the lions at the gate. â€Å"Treachery was a coin the Targaryens knew well,† Robert said. The anger was building in him again. â€Å"Lannister paid them back in kind. It was no less than they deserved. I shall not trouble my sleep over it.† â€Å"You were not there,† Ned said, bitterness in his voice. Troubled sleep was no stranger to him. He had lived his lies for fourteen years, yet they still haunted him at night. â€Å"There was no honor in that conquest.† â€Å"The Others take your honor!† Robert swore. â€Å"What did any Targaryen ever know of honor? Go down into your crypt and ask Lyanna about the dragon’s honor!† â€Å"You avenged Lyanna at the Trident,† Ned said, halting beside the king. Promise me, Ned, she had whispered. â€Å"That did not bring her back.† Robert looked away, off into the grey distance. â€Å"The gods be damned. It was a hollow victory they gave me. A crown . . . it was the girl I prayed them for. Your sister, safe . . . and mine again, as she was meant to be. I ask you, Ned, what good is it to wear a crown? The gods mock the prayers of kings and cowherds alike.† â€Å"I cannot answer for the gods, Your Grace . . . only for what I found when I rode into the throne room that day,† Ned said. â€Å"Aerys was dead on the floor, drowned in his own blood. His dragon skulls stared down from the walls. Lannister’s men were everywhere. Jaime wore the white cloak of the Kingsguard over his golden armor. I can see him still. Even his sword was gilded. He was seated on the Iron Throne, high above his knights, wearing a helm fashioned in the shape of a lion’s head. How he glittered!† â€Å"This is well known,† the king complained. â€Å"I was still mounted. I rode the length of the hall in silence, between the long rows of dragon skulls. It felt as though they were watching me, somehow. I stopped in front of the throne, looking up at him. His golden sword was across his legs, its edge red with a king’s blood. My men were filling the room behind me. Lannister’s men drew back. I never said a word. I looked at him seated there on the throne, and I waited. At last Jaime laughed and got up. He took off his helm, and he said to me, ‘Have no fear, Stark. I was only keeping it warm for our friend Robert. It’s not a very comfortable seat, I’m afraid.’ â€Å" The king threw back his head and roared. His laughter startled a flight of crows from the tall brown grass. They took to the air in a wild beating of wings. â€Å"You think I should mistrust Lannister because he sat on my throne for a few moments?† He shook with laughter again. â€Å"Jaime was all of seventeen, Ned. Scarce more than a boy.† â€Å"Boy or man, he had no right to that throne.† â€Å"Perhaps he was tired,† Robert suggested. â€Å"Killing kings is weary work. Gods know, there’s no place else to rest your ass in that damnable room. And he spoke truly, it is a monstrous uncomfortable chair. In more ways than one.† The king shook his head. â€Å"Well, now I know Jaime’s dark sin, and the matter can be forgotten. I am heartily sick of secrets and squabbles and matters of state, Ned. It’s all as tedious as counting coppers. Come, let’s ride, you used to know how. I want to feel the wind in my hair again.† He kicked his horse back into motion and galloped up over the barrow, raining earth down behind him. For a moment Ned did not follow. He had run out of words, and he was filled with a vast sense of helplessness. Not for the first time, he wondered what he was doing here and why he had come. He was no Jon Arryn, to curb the wildness of his king and teach him wisdom. Robert would do what he pleased, as he always had, and nothing Ned could say or do would change that. He belonged in Winterfell. He belonged with Catelyn in her grief, and with Bran. A man could not always be where he belonged, though. Resigned, Eddard Stark put his boots into his horse and set off after the king. How to cite A Game of Thrones Chapter Twelve, Essay examples

Blaxploitation Essay Example For Students

Blaxploitation Essay The Emergence of ColourIn todays culturally diverse, politically correct society, it is hard to believe that at one time racism was not only accepted as the norm, but enjoyed for its entertainment value. Individuals of African descent in North America today take the large, diverse pool of opportunities offered by the film industry for granted. Much like Canadian theatre however, there was a time when a black man in any role, be it servant or slave, was virtually unheard of. It took the blaxpliotation films of the early nineteen seventies to change the stereotypical depiction of Black people in American Cinema, as it took The Farm Story, performed by a small troop of Canadian actors, to create a Canadian theatre industry. To be more specific, it took the release of Melvin Van Peebles, Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song, in 1971, to change the tradition view of Black people in American film. Porters tom was the first in a long line of socially acceptable Good Negro characters. Always as toms are chased, harassed, hounded, flogged, enslaved, and insulted, they keep the faith, ner turn against their massas, and remain hearty, submissive, stoic, generous, selfless, and oh-so-very kind.(Bogle,4)The early silent period of cinema introduced five basic archetypes for Black characters: the Tom, the Coon, the Tragic Mulatto, the Mammy, and finally, the Brutal Black Buck.Americas first Black character found manifestation as the aforementioned Uncle Tom in Edwin S. Porters, Uncle Toms Cabin, which was released in 1903. The paradox was that in actuality Tom wasnt Black at all. Instead he was portrayed by a nameless, slightly overweight actor made up in blackface.(Boggle, 4) This was a common practice developed by the theater, and carried over, as were many of the acting techniques, to silent film. Toms presence, and the appearance of the four negro archetypes which were to follow, s erved the same purpose: to entertain by stressing negro inferiority.(Boggle, 4)Although having no positive effect on the status of Black people in America socially, the tom character opened the door for Black actors in cinema. Sam Lucas became the first black man to be cast in a leading role as a tom, and in 1927, Universal Pictures signed James B. Lowe, a handsome black actor, for the lead role in the Universal Pictures production of Uncle Toms Cabin. Lowe was chosen to play the part because film director Harry Pollard, a former blackface actor, believed he fit in with the realistic demands of the times(Bogle, 6)Tom was to be followed by the coon, although he remained the cinematic negro character favorite. Where tom was an endearing character, the coon provided audiences an object of amusement. Two variants of the coon soon emerged: the pickaninny and the uncle ramus.(Bogle, 7) The Pickanny was the first coon type to appear in cinemas. Generally, he was a harmless, little screwball creation whose eyes popped, whose hair stood on end with the least excitement, and whose antics were pleasant and diverting.(Bogle, 7) The Pickaninny provided audiences with an amusing diversion, and soon found his way into the hearts of the mass audience. Next to debut was the pure coon, a no-account nigger, whose unreliable, crazy, lazy nature was good for nothing but eating and causing trouble. This character found its pinnacle of success in Rastus, a good-for-nothing negro featured in a series of films released between 1910 and 1911. The final coon brother would emerge as the eager to please metaphoric cousin to the tom. Quaint, and nave, the Uncle Ramus character distinguished himself through his comic philosophizing.(Bogle,8)In general, the cinematic coon was used to indicate the Black mans contentment with his submissive position in society. Also emerging around this time period is the tragic mulatto: a negro light enough to pass for white, who must fight against the negro taint to either rise above his colour, or fall victim to it. .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 , .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .postImageUrl , .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 , .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:hover , .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:visited , .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:active { border:0!important; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:active , .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861 .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u486ff55f6146b543580e1186e6379861:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Basics of Genetics and Genetic Engineering EssayMammy, a character closely related to the comic coon, was the next to emerge. Headstrong and abundantly female, Mammy debuted around 1914. The Mammy role would be perfected by Hattie McDaniel in the 1930s. From the mammy roles emerged the Aunt Jemima, a male or female character who had a bit more tact and were, for the most part, sweet and congenial. The final archetype emerged in D.W. Griffiths The Birth of a Nation (1915). Depicting life before and after the civil war, all four archetypes are present in this film. It depicts renegade negroes who overpower the good-hearted, white southerners and impart on a path of lechery, vulgarity and crime. The ultimate goal of these wild beast-men is sexual dominance of the pure, innocent white women. At the films conclusion, the white men of the invisible empire ride in to save the day and restore white supremacy in the South. Proudly discriminating, D. W. Griffith, touted as one of the fore-fathers of cinema, uses his film mastery to show audiences what happens when slaves get uppity. The five archetypes would rule in black cinema for the next 50 years. Although Black films did emerge, it was for the most part produced by white production companies for a black audiences. Black Independent production companies such as the Ebony Motion Picture Company began to emerge in the 20s, but the stereotypes and subject matter stayed the same. A common theme of social climbing, the ultimate goal of the negro being suburban living, dominating Black theatres.(Cham, 20)Throughout the 30s and 40s the gangster films rose to the fore, usually depicting gun-totting, slick-talking negros, entent on making it big. Despite the presence of Black independent filmmakers such as George Randall, African American issues were essentially ignored. The 50s and 60s brought social unrest and the Civil Rights Movement brought a need for films with a stronger message. The archetypes of the 20s and thirties were no longer acceptable, and the few Hollywood race films (which usually starred Sidney Poitier), were no longer adequate. Hollywood was still unable to discern or depict the full spectrum of Black American life and culture.(Cham, 21)In 1971, Black film experienced an epiphany. It came in the form of a low-budget, badly made French film by the name of Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song. It was created almost entirely by one Black man- Melvin Van Peebles. This marked a radical change in Black cinema. In 1971, Melvin van Peebles dropped a bomb. Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song was not polite. It raged, it screamed, it provoked. Its reverberations were felt throughout the country. In the Black community it was both hailed and denounced for its sexual rawness, its macho hero, and its depiction of the community as downpressed and in need of rescue.(Diawara, 118)Van Peebles film sparked an explosion of what would become known asblaxploitation films. What Sweet Sweetback Baadassss Song did was interpret Black Stereotypes differently. He, and other Black directors of the time, took the Black Buck, Coon, and Mammy stereotypes of the era before and modernized them. Mammy lost weight and grew an afro, becoming the ultra-stylish diva which was personified best by actress Pam Grier. The Black Buck emerged dominant, ready to fight his historical oppressors. Blaxploitation films acted as a cleansing process, through which black films were eventually able to accurately depict the African American experience. Directors such as Spike Lee and Jon Singleton were able to create race films which confronted the serious urban issues of the time, without using old stereotypes.It is important to note, however, that Sweet Sweetback is not considered a blaxpoitation film, as it is too artistic to be considered such. Rather, Melvin Van Peebles first film was the catalyst for the cleansing blast. .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 , .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .postImageUrl , .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 , .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:hover , .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:visited , .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:active { border:0!important; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:active , .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2 .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud568d64f58da1b02bde374654cb03ed2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Novel That I Chose To Do This Report On Was, The Plague, By Albert EssayThe Farm story marked a point in time- before it there was no Canadian identity in theatre, after it there was. In the same fashion, Melvin Van Peebles movie marked the moment when African Americans reclaimed their identity. They were no longer content with the cinematic roles offered to them, and so they began to create their own. Although blaxploitation films were later commercialized, their intent and result stayed consistent, and have created the ethno-conscious cinema industry we find today. BibliographyBogle, Donald. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks. New York: VikingPress, 1973. Cham, Mbye B. Blackframes. Cambridge: The Mit Press, 1988. Cripps, Thomas. Making Movies Black. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Diawara, Manthia. Black American Cinema. New York: Routledge, 1993. Lead, Daniel J. From Sambo to Superspade. Boston: Houghton MifflinCompany, 1976. Morton, Jim. Am I Black Enough for You? Blaxploitation. 20 Sept. 1998. 22 Nov. 1998. Patterson, Lindsay. Black Films and Film-Makers. New York: Dodd, Mead Company, 1975. Sampson, Henry T. Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films. New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press Inc., 1977.