Summary and Analysis of The Franklins Tale Essay examples -- Canterbu

Summary and Analysis of The Franklin's Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Franklin's Tale: The Franklin praises the Squire for his eloquence, considering his youth. He tells the Squire that he has no peer among the company and that he wishes that his own son were as commendable as the Squire. The Host suggests that the Franklin tell the next tale. The Franklin begins by apologizing in advance for his rough speech and lack of education. The Franklin's Tale: The Franklin's Tale begins with the courtship of the Breton knight Arviragus and Dorigen, who come to be married happily. Their marriage is one of equality, in which neither of the two is master or servant. However, soon after they marry Arviragus is sent away to Britain to work for two years. Dorigen wept for his absence, despite the letters that he sent home to her. Her friends would often take her on walks where they would pass the cliffs overlooking the ocean and watch ships enter the port, hoping that one of them would bring home her husband. However, she was distressed by the rocks that were near the shore. She feared that whatever ship brought her husband home would crash on these rocks and sink. These friends would also have garden parties in which they would invite singers and squires to dance. One of these squires, Aurelius, had been in love with her ever since she arrived in Brittany. Eventually he declared his love for her. She agrees that she would be his lover if he wou ld find a way to clear the rocks that endangered incoming ships. Aurelius lamented this condition, thinking that such a task would be impossible. His brother suggested that Aurelius meet a student of law at Orleans who was versed in the sciences of illusion. Aurelius made a jour... ...solved Aurelius of his debt, while Aurelius and Arviragus gave up something that legitimately mattered. One could argue that Arviragus behaved most nobly because he risked his reputation and gave up what was rightfully his, yet for Arviragus there may not have been another reasonable option†¹the other solution that Dorigen considers is suicide. And Aurelius made what was perhaps the largest sacrifice, for he gave up what he desired most, yet what he gave up he had no legitimate right to have. A final option is that Dorigen was the one who behaved most nobly throughout the course of the story. She sacrificed her honor for the safety of her husband and was honest to both Aurelius and Arviragus. However, this does not consider the inherent foolishness of her initial promise and the fact that her behavior after Aurelius fulfilled this promise was highly constrained.

Analysing Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare Essay

Romeo and Juliet is a classical play written in the Elizabethan period, between the years 1550’s and 1600’s. It is an archetypal love story, written by Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) in the year 1595. Theatres were not as enhanced as today then. Hence the plot and the scheme of the story played a strong importance to the audience because the other aspects (such as the lighting, the props, the background etc. ) of theatre were considerably dull in comparison to today. The play was set in the late 12th Century in a city-state Verona in Italy. It was based on the story of two star-crossed lovers who fall in love at first sight and take vows to spend their life together but against all this was the great ancient feud between their two families ‘The Capulet’s’ and ‘The Montague’s’. The play is highly exhilarating and shows a great variety of emotions and themes. These innovative aspects of the play, moreover, reinforce and embellish its principal themes love, hate, and enmity. With great skills Shakespeare developed a tragic but great love story of two lovers. Life in the 12th century held different expectations from today’s life. Marriage in Italy in the period of Romeo and Juliet was different in a numbers of ways from marriage now. In those days a girl had little or no say in the choice of husband, the husband was chosen as a suitably rich and powerful ally for the family and girls often were married at the age of fourteen or fifteen. Shakespeare considered these differences which even applied to his time and hence giving the audience a new perception to their living style. There are infinity of ways to perform Romeo and Juliet, not one way can be considered ‘right’. Each production is a fresh outlook by the director’s point of view, the audience and the actor; but even though each production will have its own unique quality. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet were performed on stage in ‘The Globe Theatre’ whereas Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet were made in a film format. Both the formats hold their unique qualities and contrasts hence making each of them an extravagant performance. Shakespeare’s format is on stage and was performed under circumstances where much was not feasible, for example as lighting was not available the play had to be performed in the daytime, the background sceneries could not be changed and so all was done in one, special effects were not the least of an option as technology did not allow it. Whereas Baz Luhrman had access to all such areas, hence giving him the resources to provide a much genuine and intricate performance. Baz Luhrman’s version consisted of modern day themes such as violence, love, sex, dangerous and panicky situations. He has put in touches of modern culture like guns instead of swords and cars instead of horses. Also some excellent special effects and soundtracks had been added making the movie exciting and an overall experience. A director’s role in the making of a movie is very important. It is the director who visualises the scene in order to give out an original performance, it is the director which decides how each scene will be performed, why it will be performed and when will it be performed. He also has to decide on what kind of atmosphere he wishes to create in order to catch the attention of the audience, and to do this he has to decide on the setting of each scene. In my role as director I have to consider points such as what the play is about, the important ideas and themes and the overall significance to each scene. My job as director includes visualising the scene, imagining the scene and choosing the ideal lighting, setting, actors etc. The director also should have a considerable grasp on the text and hold an intense view on the character development in the scene. The director must use language and gestures to convey the feelings, themes and emotions of each character with each turn in the plot. The language used by Shakespeare in the balcony scene (Act 2, Scene 2) is highly imaginative, romantic, poetic and seductive. For instance the following quote ‘By love, that first did prompt did me to inquire; He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes. I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far As that vast shore wash’d with the farthest sea, I would adventure for such merchandise. The language in the above quote is highly imaginative yet romantic and highly poetic yet seductive. The language is very powerful and contains a phenomenal control on the mind. Its effect is ever so powerful that its inner meaning haunts the mind for prolonged time. It conveys the thoughts and emotions of the characters to the utmost accuracy and details. I as the director also have to decide the language and text to be used. To decide this I have keep my target audience in consideration. I have decided to aim my movie to a wide range of audience. I wish to keep in the same respect and sanctity as Shakespeare’s version except for giving it more liveliness and enthusiasm. Therefore the movie will be appropriate for anyone from mature teenagers to adults. As director I have decided to act the play on a movie set. This will enable me to a wider range of options and features such as special effects, soundtracks, lighting etc. This will make it possible for me to bring out the true emotions of the individual characters and give it a more realistic atmosphere. For example the actors will not have the need to shout out the dialogues, allowing them to whisper in the romantic scenes.

The Feminist Movement Adrienne Rich - 1607 Words

The word â€Å"feminism† is still a word that gets put in the wrong category. Many people, especially the stereotypical male who believes women should not leave the house, believe that the word â€Å"feminism† means that women are superior to men. Though there are the radical women who do believe that, â€Å"feminism† holds a completely different meaning. Feminism was created to fight for women’s equality. It was around the 1940s where the word began to gain its first wave of momentum. The second wave came in the 60s and 70s, and led to the third wave in the 90s which has carried over to today’s time. Many authors, especially the few women authors, attached themselves to this label and began to write powerful pieces that fought for women’s equality. One major author who really influenced the feminist movement was Adrienne Rich (1929 – March 2012). American poet, essayist, and feminist, Rich is considered â€Å"one of the most widely read and influential poets in the second half of the 20th century† and credited with bringing â€Å"the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse† (Baym, 566). Born in Maryland and growing up in a Jewish Christian household, there were strict expectations that were to be met. That is not including the extra pressure from her parents where her father was a doctor and her mother a famous concert pianist who left her career to be a full time mother. Many argue that these parental expectations helped motivate her career as an author. InShow MoreRelatedThe Voice of a Feminist: Rhetorical Analysis Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesThe Voice of a Feminist: Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Claiming an Education† â€Å"All I have, is a voice.† –W.H. Auden. These are five words that could leave a thoughtful philosopher speechless. But perhaps found within the lack of â€Å"finding a better word† moments, are when revolution seeds are planted in the hearts and tongues of the passionate. And if this is a truth, then Adrienne Rich was absolutely no exception. The radical feminist and poet opened her speech, â€Å"Claiming an Education† to the girls ofRead MoreWomens Rights Essay1071 Words   |  5 Pagesthe most influential writers Adrienne Rich once said, â€Å"She is afraid that her own truths are not good enough.† Adrienne Rich talks about women’s role and issues in her essay called â€Å"Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying†. She describes how women during the 1977 lied about everything. They lied about their appearance, their job, their happiness, and even about their relationship. Adrienne Rich is one of the most powerful writers, who identi fies herself as lesbian feminists. Her work has been acknowledgedRead More The Use of Symbols in Adrienne Richs Poem, Aunt Jennifers Tigers818 Words   |  4 PagesThe Use of Symbols in Adrienne Richs Poem, Aunt Jennifers Tigers Freedom has always been an important value in the United States that most people are not willing to give up. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a writer who lived in the 1800s, reminded Americans of their rights of liberty at a time when many people started to conform to established norms. He voiced his opinions about the loss of freedom and invited society to realize that they were relinquishing their rights. Years later, his views stillRead More Adrienne Rich Essay1758 Words   |  8 Pages The Poetry of Adrienne Rich nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Adrienne Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland in the year of 1929. Rich grew up in a household as she describes it as † †¦white, middle-class, full of books, and with a father who encouraged her to write† (Daniel). Her father Arnold Rich was a doctor and a pathology professor and her mother, Helen Jones Rich , was a pianist and a composer. â€Å"Adrienne Rich recalls her growing-up years clearly dominated by the intellectual presence and demandsRead MoreFeminism, The Yellow Wallpaper, And Jackson s The Lottery1205 Words   |  5 PagesFeminism, the belief that women and men should both have equal rights, was a movement that many men did not believe in before the 1960s and 1970s. The feminist movement started after the 1970s. Women such as Adrienne Rich (poet), Charlotte Perkins Gilman (feminist) and Shirley Jackson (writer), are women that used their works of literature to show their views on the ways men controlled their wives physically a nd mentally. Rich wrote Living In Sin, Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper, and Jackson wroteRead MoreLiterary Analysis : An Analysis Of Adrienne Rich1143 Words   |  5 Pages ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­During the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war, Adrienne Rich has played a role of social activist and feminist. Adrienne Rich grew up in Baltimore and married Alfred Conrad who soon after started a family and had three children. Rich â€Å"struggled with the traditional expectations of being a wife and mother†[1], thus deciding to work as a poet who challenged society’s expectation and the inequality of power between men and women. Her husband later committed suicide after she distanced herselfRead MoreAnalysis Of Aunt Jennifers Tigers By Adrienne Rich1103 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† by Adrienne Rich and â€Å"[I, being born a woman and distressed]† by Edna St. Vincent Millay are two poems prevalently known to address feminist iss ues. While both poems share a common theme, they offer significantly different points of view concerning agency. The fear and sorrow described in â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† evoke ideas of misogyny and objectification, while the boldness spoken in â€Å"[I, being born a woman and distressed]† suggests increased women’s agency and empowermentRead MoreImagery Of Women By Adrienne Rich1540 Words   |  7 Pagesmost potentially transforming force on the planet.† –Adrienne Rich. For many years Adrienne Rich was one of the most influential writers of the feminist movements. She is also known for her use of political issues in her poems. She considers herself a socialist because â€Å"socialism represents moral values – the dignity and human rights of all citizens† (Daily News). In one of her poems, â€Å"Necessities of life,† Rich focused on death. Adrienne Rich got a negative reaction to her earlier poem â€Å"SnapshotsRea d More Emily Dickinson and Adrienne Rich Essay2741 Words   |  11 PagesEmily Dickinson and Adrienne Rich The modernist period, stretching from the late 19th century to approximately 1960, is a very distinct phase in the progression of American literature, employing the use of novel literary techniques which stray away from the traditional literary styles observed in the time preceding the period. Modernist writers explore new styles themes, and content in their compositions, encompassing issues ranging from race (Kate Chopin) to gender (H.D.) to sexuality (JamesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Diving Into The Wreck 1365 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Diving into the Wreck†: An Analysis of Women’s Status Change in the Current Society At the beginning of Adrienne Rich’s poem- â€Å"Diving into the Wreck†, the poet uses â€Å"book of myths, camera, knife, body armor, and grave and awkward mask† to start the poem. Through those words, it is hard to tell if she wants to fight for women’s rights, or just â€Å"dive into the wreck.† However, in general, people usually use their cameras to take pictures or record videos to memorialize things that happened to them