An Inspector Calls Character Profile Essay Example for Free

An Inspector Calls Character Profile Essay Arthur Birling Husband of Sybil, father of Sheila and Eric. He is the owner of Birling and Company, some sort of factory business that employs several girls to work on machines. He is a Magistrate and two years ago, was Lord Mayor of Brumley. Gerald Croft Engaged to Sheila. His parents, Sir George and Lady Croft, are above the Birlings socially, and it seems his mother disapproves of his engagement to Sheila. He works for his fathers company, Crofts Limited, which seems to be both bigger and older than Birling and Company. Sheila Birling Engaged to be married to Gerald. Daughter of Arthur Birling and Sybil Birling, and sister of Eric. Sybil Birling Married to Arthur. Mother of Sheila and Eric. Sybil is, like her husband, a woman of some public influecnce, sitting on charity organizations and having been married two years ago to the Lord Mayor. She is an icily impressive woman, arguably the only one of all the Birlings to almost completely resist the Inspectors attempts to make her realize her responsibilities. Eric Birling Son of Arthur and Sybil Birling. Brother of Sheila Birling. Eric has a drinking problem He works at Birling and Company, and his father is his boss. Inspector Goole The Inspector is in his fifties, and he is dressed in a plain dark suit. He initially seems to be an ordinary Brumley police inspector, but (as his name might suggest) comes to seem something more ominousperhaps even a supernatural being. Edna The parlour maid. Eva Smith A girl who the Inspector claims worked for Birling and was fired, before working for Milwards and then being dismissed. She subsequently had relationships with Gerald Croft and then Eric Birling (by whom she became pregnant).

Sexuality in John Donnes The Flea Essay -- essays research papers

A Reading of John Donne's 'The Flea' It is common to ascribe to Donne the status of archetypal logical poet- a man whose works are tightly crafted, confident, and certain in their application of metaphor and analogy. True enough, Donne’s poem seems to suggest a certain self-security: we see a tight, predictable rhyme scheme, and an ordered structure. There is also arguably a wealth of rhetorical resources - Donne does not shy away from using the lexis of the military (â€Å"triumph’st†), the medical (â€Å"two bloods†¦mingled†) or even the religious (â€Å"cloysterd†, â€Å"sacrilege†). Such a feature that might be read as hinting at Donne’s essential confidence in his ability to create a unified philosophy, to adapt a wide range of discourses, to demonstrate poetic craft. However, I want to suggest that the relations of power and position of sexuality in this small poem are a great deal less certain than such an interpretation might suggest. At the very least, Donne is not simply providing a stylised, easy conclusion but is engaging in a real rhetorical struggle. He chooses to employ exuberant, self-conscious metaphors that often contradict themselves. The conclusion of his poem, Just so much honor, when thou yeeld'st to mee, Will wast, as this flea's death tooke life from thee simultaneously insists on the identification of the flea with the sexual union (i.e. it may be compared to ‘yielding’) and on the impossibility of doing so (referring to the mistress’ counter-argument, where the flea’s death cannot be equated to the death of man and wife). That is, one might translate the meaning of the climax as: ‘this flea’s death did not kill you, and therefore the flea cannot be identified with us, yet this flea rep... ...e taken by â€Å"this flea’s death†. It is noticeable how this ‘triumph’ actually fits rather neatly into Donne’s rhyme, and more importantly how his choice of pronouns (â€Å"thou†¦thyself†¦mee†) alerts us to this line being Donne’s rendering of her speech- his pronouns reflect his own perspective. As indirect speech, the feminine voice is interpreted, defined and staged through the poet’s essentially masculine perspective. This male-ordained self-castration makes the supposedly easy task of assigning gender roles in The Flea a far more complex matter. Donne’s poem hints not at stable patriarchy, but an early modern society questioning and playing with concepts of gender and associated forms of power. There is a straddling of public and private spheres here, yet also a failure to achieve secure identity in either. The Flea points towards a symbolic order in a state of flux.

Devastating Racism in “The Martian Chronicles” Essay

Martian Luther King Jr. enlightened us with his dream â€Å"of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.† The world watched his glorious speech, amazed with his fluency, honesty, and intelligence. People such as M. L. King Jr. revolutionized Black equality in North America. He contributed to the [almost] barrier free society for any race. Today, societal racism is almost obsolete and the majority of citizens are open-minded and accepting of different races. Though as displayed in Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, racism against African-Americans is evident in their society. Exploitation and Ignorance of this minority is also communicated. These three points are effectively displayed through the Caucasian characters’ thoughts, speech, and actions. More specifically shown through their ignorant thoughts, their unappreciative speech, their condescending actions. Throughout North American history, racism has been a serious issue which has consumed many people a , yet destroyed another. Racism makes other humans beings feel inferior, this is wrong. This is frowned upon in our society, yet accepted in Chapter 15 of The Martian Chronicles. This short narration is called â€Å"Way in the Middle of Air†, and takes place in a fictional June of 2003. The entire chapter the author has devotes to all aspects of racism in its entirety., Displaying thought uses of extensive symbolism the author depicts the leaving of the African -Americans from their town. â€Å"And in that slow, steady channel of darkness that cut across the white glare of day were touches of alert white† (p. 91), the paragraph form which his passage was taken has allegorical characteristics. The use of light and dark [â€Å"White banks of the town stores, among the trees silences, a black tide flowed.† (p.90)], symbolism [â€Å"Brooks of colour† (p. 91)], m etaphors [The Blacks’ are the river], similes [â€Å"Men sat like nervous hounds† (p. 91)] and oxymoron’s [â€Å"Cinnamon Roads† (p. 90)]. This section full of literary devices, is informative by depicting for the reader the level of extreme coloured evacuation. The Whites on the other hand are flabbergasted at the level of secrecy the African-Americans take on when attempting to migrate. The  majority of Caucasians in this town consider themselves ‘better’ then any one black man, because of the colour of his skin. As Mr. Teece, a local white hardware store owner, tries to sabotage a young black mans chance of getting to Mars, he forcefully reinforces to the young man, that â€Å"I’ll let you go when I’m ready to let you go†¦until I say you can leave, you know it damn well† (p. 94). Mr. Teece, as well as the society enforcing this behaviour, believes that because Teece is white, he has the right to dominate and command a black man. The repeated use of the pronoun â€Å"I† suggest that Mr. Teece has a haughty demeanour. Also, the reference to â€Å"you know it damn wellâ⠂¬  is a cutting reinforcement, intended to make nervous Mr. Teece gain power in dominance. The excessive belittlement and racism is taboo in society today, most racism that circulates is more subtle, yet still disturbing. In Canada, everyone is considered an equal; all races entitled to equal rights. In the un-model society depicted the Caucasians’ thought themselves to be a higher class citizens due to their race. They act upon this conception. This novel was written in a time when the abolishment of slavery was a still a lingering issue. Slavery dominated the USA for generations, the concept is based on the very values of the town looked at in chapter 15. The slavery was abolished in the United States African0 Americans got [paid incredibly low wages for gruelling hard labour. In general, their work was work every penny, twice. In The Martian Chronicles Bradbury includes examples of these situations. Situations where the White folks depend on the Black people for [less-than]-minimum wage employees. Even though the Caucasians desperately need the Black workers, they treat them disrespectfully. It is only when the Africans attempt to flee that they realize the asset they have lost. When Mrs. Teece discovery that her nanny/maid is fleeing to Mars, she reaches a state of turmoil. Heaven forbid she might actually be expected to cook! Lucinda Teece hurries down to the family store to seek comfort from her husband. â€Å"She’s leaving.†, she says worriedly to Mr. Teece, â€Å"What’ll I do without her?† (p. 92). This statement shows a lot about Mrs. Teece’s character. She feels inadequate to run a household on her own, keeping in mind she has probably never done extensive chores before. Also, Lucinda was  probably never taught how to do the house work as a youth, her parents more-than-likely had help as well. Not only is Mrs. Teece’s help leaving, but also Mr. Teece’s employee. When another young black man, Teece’s employee, returns upon leaving to return his bicycle, is confronted by Mr. Teece about contract conflicts. Though, it is obvious that the confrontation is mainly on principle and belittlement, perhaps Mr. Teece would have problems tidying his store or finding another employee. Even though both the Teece’s ‘need’ their Negro employees neither treats them with dignity. More so Mr. Teece, when referring to Silly as â€Å"boy† (p. 95) and commanding him rudely, â€Å"You still standing there!†. The Teece family will miss their obdurate help on the Black people fly to Mars. Many of the people of European descent in this town used and relied on African- Americans to complete hard, and unfavourable tasks. While the Blacks’ worked, the Whites’ disregarded their feelings, by speaking rudely towards their [now depleted] asset. Unlike the other points of discussion, ignorance to another culture group is overwhelmingly evident in present day society and the fictional society devoured by the reader in The Martian Chronicles. As the Black people slowly migrate from the town, described as a â€Å"steady channel of darkness† (p. 92), the White townsmen are shocked. The Caucasian people do not understand the new found backbone or the other race. And they do not understand why the black’s feel a need to go. This ignorant opinion of Black peoples rebellion was common trough the early and mid 1900’s. As bluntly stated by Mr. Teece: I can’t figure why they left now. With things lookin’ up. I mean, everyday they get more rights. What they want, anyway? Here’s the poll tax gone, and more and more states passin’ anti-lynching’ bills, and all kinds of equal rights. What more they want? They make almost as good money as a white man, but still they go. This ignorant mans words show his blindness to equality, sadly this demeanour is generally accepted in his society. The majority of society are racists. The black people only want to be treated as absolute equals; contrastingly,  the white people do not understand this concept. For they see the black’s as not equals but a lesser kind, therefore in there eyes the Black’s should not ask for rights, that they are not entitled to. Mr. Teece asks himself, â€Å"what the want, anyway†, perhaps if he asked a blunt educated Black man, the type of response would be, to stop referring to grown black men as â€Å"boy[s’]†; generally speaking to put an end to their condescending racial speech. As the hurds of black families â€Å"engulf the town† on their way to Mars, the white men do not understand their reasoning for leaving. Mr. Teece and his buddies are ignorant to the general feelings of the Black community, and continually, treat Black’s condescendingly even as they leave. In conclusion, the thoughts, speech and actions of the white man displayed exploitation, ignorance and general racism against the African-American race, in Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles†. This fictional society has barriers to overcome. If the racist people in this society can follow as quote of Confucius, â€Å"when you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self.†, racism could be abolished, and every race, creed or kind could live harmoniously on one planet.

Video Games in Pop-Culture. - 1510 Words

Video games in pop-culture. Video games and computer games (from here on both categories will be simply referred to as video games for simplicity) have entered the domain of pop culture fairly recently. Although the first video game was developed in 1958 by William Higginbotham, their popularity didn’t occur until the seventies with the appearance of Pac-man and Frogger in the arcades (Computer and Video Games). If the younger generation of video game consumers would take a look at what was out there when the video game boom begun they wouldn’t be able to understand what was so attractive (and addictive?) about Pac-man and Frogger? The truth is, video games from over three decades ago share the same basic principles with the games we have†¦show more content†¦While the living out these activities might be a bit complicated for a variety of reasons starting from time and ending with money, their virtual representation are readily available in a digital format. There are literally tons of v ideo games out there that simulate all sorts of sports, their popularity is especially high among Americans who idealize a fit, toned and healthy body image and an active lifestyle. Video games also burrow heavily from other forms of popular entertainment such as movies, cartoons, books, music, television game shows, commix etc. These genres sometimes attempt to do the same and burrow content from video games only to fail miserably every single time (Bloodrayne, Doom, Dungeons and Dragons). Perhaps, the reason why this happens is because video games in addition to mind blowing special effects and often great story lines and excellent voice-over/soundtrack also offer interactivity (active participation f the player). Refined of participation element video game-to-movie adaptations are like about as entertaining as a video game with no controller to manipulate the characters and the outcomes. This gives evidence that shows that although video games represent a humongous industry and h ave a great diversity of products, they are nothing without the social world. Whether we’re simulating a football game, controlling an army of monsters or flying on a magic carpet we’re doing nothing else but living out ourShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Video Games On Pop Culture1116 Words   |  5 Pages Around the middle of the 20th Century man cultures started to grow beyond what they previously were thanks to different mediums (such as television and music) helping to push boundaries; with this came the birth of pop culture. Considering pop culture is a shortened version of popular culture it’s clear that many of the things in pop culture would be short lived. The short lived trends and happenings are labeled as â€Å"fads†. Strangely enough, some fads are made to transform and actually become a mainstayRead MoreWhy Video Games Have Made A Shift Into Mainstream Pop Culture6550 Words   |  27 PagesThe term pop culture can be defined as ‘The c ulture of the people’ a culture that flourishes through social interaction and mass media that is most actively involved in by the public. Pop culture can cover a wide range of materials and as such should be looked at as a topic open to discussion, interpretation as to why it is popular and what makes it popular. Since pop culture includes an expansive spectrum of subjects I am going to be focusing on one of those and that is Video games. In this essayRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effect On Society1171 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is pop culture? Popular culture is defined in the dictionary as the culture based on tastes of ordinary people rather than an educated elite. Pop culture should be taught in schools. 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Equally important, alcohol portrayals in pop culture are generally positive as they direct teenagers to participateRead MoreHow Video Games Changed Throughout History1373 Words   |  6 PagesFrom Fad to Phenomenon: How Video Games Changed Throughout History Around the middle of the 20th Century man cultures started to grow beyond what they previously were thanks to different mediums (such as television and music) helping to push boundaries; with this came the birth of pop culture. Considering pop culture is a shortened version of popular culture it’s clear that many of the things in pop culture would be short lived. The short lived trends and happenings are labeled as â€Å"fads†. StrangelyRead MoreHow Pop Culture Has Impacted The Smarts Of Our Country952 Words   |  4 PagesPop culture has been seen in the past to be a main ingredient in making our country’s I.Q. drop, or well, that the overall population is going to become dumber because of its rise. However, Malcolm Gladwell has felt differently, and decided to produce an article on how pop culture has effected the smarts of our country. In Malcolm Gladwell’s article â€Å"Brain Candy†, Gladwell effectively uses rhetorical appeals to prove his arg ument. Throughout Gladwell’s article he uses logical appeals to help proveRead MorePopular Culture is Not the Devil1056 Words   |  5 PagesPopular Culture Is Not The Devil Many people can agree that popular culture is invasive, but the opinions differ on how invasive it actually is and whether it is harmful or beneficial. In David Denby’s Buried Alive: Our Children and the Avalanche of Crud, he clearly states his opinion of popular culture and how it has invaded his home and the attitude of his children. The main source of popular culture according to Denby is the media, which has become â€Å"three-dimensional, inescapable, omnivorousRead MoreBrain Candy Essay614 Words   |  3 Pagesmind? Malcolm Gladwell proposes in his article, â€Å"Brain Candy,† that playing video games or watching television is just as important as reading a book. Gladwell is using rhetorical appeals to prove that in fact, video games are not dumbing down society. Pop culture is helping to improve test scores and knowledge. In â€Å"Brain Candy,† Malcolm Gladwell does affectively use rhetorical appeals to convince his audience that pop culture is making ou r society smarter. First, Gladwell effectively appeals to logosRead MoreGame for Boys or Girls1254 Words   |  6 PagesMovement’: Video Games as Gendered Play Space† convinced me that 13 years ago there was gender segregation in the digital world of video games on who the games where made for, girls or boys. From my 15 year of experience playing hundreds of video games I never thought of games being gender biased till now. To me girls didn’t play them because they were just not into video games and would rather play with dolls. Jenkins states that traditional culture in video games is not fixing gender bias games but ratherRead MoreSex Sells Video Games and Insecurity1135 Words   |  5 Pagessubconsciously wanted to be. The video game, Conkers Bad Fur Day was one video game out of many that had significantly influenced my self-esteem. As I continued to play more video games that had an emphasis on body image, the more I hated my own. Most female avatars in video games were Caucasian, tall, had a thin waist, and unrealistic sized breasts. I was 49, obese, and African American. The thought provoking idea of me not being the ideal woman of the video game had started to eat me up alive