Personal and Political consequences of the Cold War period - Literature Essay Samples

Texts written in the After the Bomb period represent the personal and political consequences of an era. George Clooney’s Good Night And Good Luck, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road, and Oliver Stone’s film, Platoon represent this in light of their differing perceptions of the period, but each ultimately foreshadows a diminishing of the self and a challenging of values. These texts foreshadow the politically unstable era where the threat of Communism and the breakdown of government systems engenders a sense of destruction and creates ideologically conflicting situations. Good night and Good luck represents these personal consequences through the challenging of an individuals integrity, and the anxiety generated as a result. This is depicted by Don Hollenbeck’s suicide after he is routinely accused of being a Communist sympathizer. In portraying his suicide the mournful tone of the music followed by the subsequent absence of music speaks to the human cost of this hunt for communist sympathizers. Richard Lippe states in ‘History Replays Itself’; â€Å"McCarthy’s tactics were†¦making often outrageous accusations†¦McCarthy had instilled fear into the media†. Clooney reflects this by capturing the exploitation of the paranoia of individuals like Hollenbeck for financial gain. The film further lays bare the personal consequences of the fear that McCarthy’s anti-Communist position generated. As Joe and Shirley speak in the copy room at CBS, the over the shoulder shots capture their conversation in a way tha t essentially traps them and creates a paranoid sense of awareness for them. The fearful tone in Shirley’s question to Joe: â€Å"If you and I don’t sign this, are you a target?† accompanied by the extreme close up of their faces reflects this anxiety that has resulted from McCarthy’s position. This reflects the nature of an era that is afraid of the spread of Communism to the extent that its people are forced to exist in a closed and paranoid manner. Samuel Beckett presents similar personal consequences in Waiting for Godot through this crushing of the self and an individuals reliance upon hope despite the inevitability of a purposeless existence. He presents this as Vladimir and Estragon contemplate ending their lives as a source of comfort through their exchange of dialogue where Vladimir states: â€Å"We’ll hang ourselves tomorrow†¦Unless Godot comes†¦We’ll be saved†. This contradiction of ending their lives with the hope of Godot’s arrival allows them to endure this suffering and pass the time to find a meaning to their existence. Andrew K. Kennedy supports this idea in ‘Active Waiting’: â€Å"Waiting †¦ can involve†¦the empty or anxious mind trying to cope by inventing distractions’. The flippant tone of Pozzo’s self effacing rhetorical question: â€Å"I am perhaps not particularly human, but who cares?† highlights that his absence of humanity is irrelevant to him; that his concern is more for his belongings than it is for having the values considered meaningful. Beckett again highlights this as Pozzo trivializes the idea that they are waiting for: â€Å"Godet†¦Godot†¦Godin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  who ultimately offers them hope. Beckett is ultimately reflecting on the flimsy nature of their hope highlighting these specific consequences. Oliver Stone presents the same consequences in Platoon through an intensified challenging of values resulting from a sharp ideological divide between leaders. As the soldiers are ambushed, Sergeant Barnes murders a fellow soldier Elias, leaving him to die. No music was played in this scene which emphasized the diegetic sounds of fighting, highlighting the direct consequences of the dehumanizing Vietnam war that diminished any humanity within the soldiers. The close-up shots of the mens faces show the â€Å"suspicion and hate† generated from this diminishing of the self where the demarcation lines between enemy and fellow soldier are eradicated. As Barnes holds an innocent child hostage, the absence of music contrasted against the childs crying accentuates the threatening nature of the soldiers as a result of the existential sense of the war that plagues them as they centralize their focus on their own self-preservation. Taylor’s voice-over narrating his letters to his g randmother: â€Å"we did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves and the enemy was in us†, where they could not â€Å"find a goodness and meaning to this life† foreshadows these consequences of the war that has led to a decline in human morality and inevitable loss of self. In The Road, Cormac McCarthy explores the intricate interplay between conflicting ideologies and the consequences of disintegrating societal values. The setting of a ruined America: â€Å"Sketched upon the pall of soot downstream the outline of a burnt city†¦Ã¢â‚¬  foregrounds the setting to which this decline in human morality has emerged following the destruction of civilization. He presents vivid visual imagery depicting how cannibalism has been conceptualized as a societal norm as the father details his findings of ‘bones and†¦skin piled together with rocks over them’ whilst noticing â€Å"a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt†. This exhibits the consequences of the degradation of human morality that appears to be a direct manifestation of an absence of religion and a change in individual circumstances where the increasingly present capitalist systems have eroded the human being and their values. He metaphor ically represents this by comparing ‘men’ to ‘Creedless shells tottering’. That they would have no ideologies to fall back on. McCarthy is ultimately foregrounding a destruction of humanity where the extent to which any sense of hope is degraded as is evident as the man explains; ‘part of him always wished it to be over’. This ultimately foregrounds McCarthy’s reflection on the challenging of values that characterized the After the Bomb period.

A Doctor In The House Essay - 971 Words

A Doctor in the House nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Henrik Ibsens character, Dr. Rank, in quot;A Dolls Housequot; is an important component of the play, though he is not a lead character. Rank enhances the story in his own right as a character, but mainly serves a greater purpose as an accentuation of Noraa character. Noras relationship with Rank is equal, and perhaps it implants in Noras mind the idea that relationships should be equal. Their relationship brings up questions about social correctness and even the values necessary in a marriage. Essentially, Dr. Ranks purpose is to refine the audiences understanding of Noras character. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Dr. Ranks presence establishes the lack of communication between†¦show more content†¦Rank,quot; making known the unprecedented state of Noras relationships (549). Rank and Noras relationship shows how Nora has inappropriately replaced Helmer with Rank, crippling the marriage further by hindering communication with her husband and driving her to become more independent. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Noras interactions with Rank also reveal her personality. Her knack for manipulating people is made evident when considers asking Rank for money to pay the debt. When Rank reveals his strong love for Nora, she becomes ridden with guilt--she cannot rationalize her actions (emotional blackmail) with ignorance. quot;How could you be so stupid,quot; she says to Rank as he foils her previously innocent plan (552). Nora is not ignorant of her flaws, she merely masks them with a silly woman. Rank, however, brings out her truer characteristics. Her personality is also evident in the events surrounding Ranks death. She alone bears the responsibility of comforting Rank and telling Helmer. While she is not totally successful, quot;Nonsense! Cheer up! Laugh,quot; the audience can see an amount of maturity in this scene (552). Through Noras relationship with Rank we see a very independent woman, who is not silly, but intelligent and quick. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The similar situations of Rank and Nora also help the audience to understand one of the main themes in the play, the social stigma of tainted heritage. Each of the charactersShow MoreRelatedThe Road To Doctor Liveseys House Short Story1501 Words   |  7 PagesThe Road to Doctor Livesey’s House. As our little party trotted through the town, I kept looking into the shadows of alleys and shops expecting to see a buccaneer jump out at us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following us. 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Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding. Answer: Introduction Every person plans a wedding that can be remembered for the rest of their life and stands out as the most memorable day in their entire life. The wedding is associated with traditions and emotions, and hence people try and give out their best when they look forward to marriage (Monger, 2013). Though the idea of the wedding is age-old, it is seen that many new ideas have been incorporated into the process to make it stand out from the traditional wedding practices. However, the new elements have been included but, the usual features remain constant and play a major part in the entire wedding process. The report will focus on the new items in the wedding along with the traditional practices that are yet prevalent. New aspects of the modern wedding The modern wedding is recorded with plenty of new incorporations that thrive to make the marriage exceptional and grand in its appearance. The idea of Event management and event design in the wedding has had a far-reaching impact in creating the wedding modern in its approach. New ideas are being created into the traditional process, and this amalgamation makes the event further exciting in the modern times. Some of the elements that are involved in the new wedding are- Destination wedding- The bride and grooms these days aspire to wed in an entirely new location and away from their home location. The event designing team plans for a wedding that is away from the situation of the families and the entire process of the marriage takes place on that particular location. The families travel to the spot along with the guests, and the whole arrangement is made on that new location (Durinec, 2013). That brings an air of freshness, and the idea of travelling for the wedding is such an aspect that tempts the bride and groom. This is an innovation in the wedding industry as it has lead to making the event more enjoyable and engrossing for the entire guest list. The guests are involved just like the family, and hence every person included in the process enjoys and earns memories for life. Removal of Patriarchal concepts- The entire process of a father giving away his daughter to man as if he owned her and is willfully passing away the ownership to her husband is a highly patriarchal idea. The concept has been developed, and these days the process is full of love, and it is evident that the girl is not owned by anyone and she is an individual character of her own. The bride came in under the veil so that the groom could not see the face unless it was the time to kiss the bride. Such assumptions have been reduced, and the contexts of such rituals have completely changed (Alam, 2014). The bride equally enjoys the wedding and dances and drinks to have fun on the day of the wedding, and no societal pressure or judgment is imposed on the bride at early times. Entertainment- The idea of incorporating Disc Jockey for playing music and making the people dance is unique and new. The entertainment quotients in the modern weddings have been turned high, and the guests are made to enjoy every moment of the wedding. Previously people were concerned more with the wedding being taken well but this has changed with time and entertainment has turned into a big priority for the organizers (Sari et al., 2014). Pre-wedding shoots- The new idea of making a video and photograph album of the couple announcing their marriage in a romantic style gives the wedding a much needed creative side. "Save the date" videos are made as the couple gives out the date of their wedding through that video and it remains with them forever showcasing their love for each other (Napompech, 2014). Traditional practices The age-old traditional practices that are yet relevant to the wedding ceremony and people give importance to them as much as the new incorporation. The tradition of wearing a white dress in the wedding is age-old, and it is yet maintained. The bride wears the white dress, and it produces the effect of a fairy tale scene at the wedding as the dresses are of fairy and princess design. The engagement ring contains diamond in it, and this is a tradition that is practised for a long time and has its relevance and usage even today. The diamond reflects the precious bond that is created during the engagement, and it also showcases the glitter the couple may have in their conjugal life from then after (Francis?Tan Mialon, 2015). The bride and groom leave in a car after the wedding is over and it has "just married" written on it. This practice of the couple leaving the place together after the marriage is over is age-old and has been yet kept in the process. The cars that are hired for the couple to leave the wedding location are according to the theme of the wedding. Mostly, as it is an age-old practice, the vintage cars are selected by people so that it lends an air of royalty to the entire wedding. Conclusion To conclude, wedding days are one of the most memorable days for people involved in the process. The traditional practices are not completely waived off, and new elements are being added to it to make it glamorous and engrossing. The emotions and values of the people are saved with such practices, and hence it makes sure that the essence of a wedding never fades. The modern-day marriage is much about glory and glamour, and it is the traditional customs that keep the spirit of the wedding alive. It is to be regarded that people these days are inclined towards the grandeur of the event, and while doing so the essence of it gets somewhere vanished if the traditional practices are not matched up with them. Reference Alam, F. (2014). Inside the Wedding: A Critical Study of Relationships in The God of Small Things and Brick Lane.BANGLADESH RESEARCH FOUNDATION, 158. Retrieved from: https://www.researchfoundbd.org/images/Vol.3-No.2-2014.pdf#page=171 Durinec, N. (2013). Destination weddings in the Mediterranean.Hospitality and Tourism Management-2013, 1. Retrieved from: https://tiikm.com/publication/ICOHT-2013-proceeding-book.pdf#page=12 Francis?Tan, A., Mialon, H. M. (2015). A Diamond Is Forever And Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship Between Wedding Expenses And Marriage Duration.Economic Inquiry,53(4), 1919-1930. Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e1c8/373b9d170fa5066451b9d60f08e41091c3b3.pdf Monger, G. (2013).Marriage Customs of the World: An Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding Traditions, [2 Volumes]. Abc-clio. ISBN 1598846647, 9781598846645 Napompech, K. (2014). Attributes In?uencing Wedding Studio Choice.Journal of Applied Sciences,14(21), 2685-2694. Retrieved from: https://docsdrive.com/pdfs/ansinet/jas/0000/65343-65343.pdf Sari, D., Ozkurt, N., Hamamci, S. F., Ece, M., Yalcindag, N., Akdag, A., Akdag, Y. (2014, October). Assessment of noise pollution sourced from entertainment places in Antalya, Turkey. InINTER-NOISE and NOISE-CON Congress and Conference Proceedings(Vol. 249, No. 7, pp. 1072-1077). Institute of Noise Control Engineering. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nesimi_Ozkurt/publication/280223778_Assessment_of_noise_pollution_sourced_from_entertainment_places_in_Antalya_Turkey/links/55adfd5008aed9b7dcdb0878/Assessment-of-noise-pollution-sourced-from-entertainment-places-in-Antalya-Turkey.pdf