Ancient Homosexuality Essay Example for Free

Ancient Homosexuality Essay The modern self is primarily built up of one’s history, body, religion, politics and entertainment – a Freudian composition of what identity is. And all of these things, the very factors that make the modern self the way it is, roots from the ancients. Cicero once thought that without the knowledge of the past, once shall remain a child, hence, Simon Goldhill’s Love, Sex and Tragedy: How the Ancient World Shapes Our Lives. With Cicero’s principle in mind, Goldhill wishes his readers to have a full understanding of who they are and how they came to be the way they are. Among the very controversial societal issues that Goldhill discussed pertained to homosexuality. Sexuality, in the time of the Greco-Romans, meant a love-affair with the phallus. They paraded it in the theatres, processions, public road, and even public memorials. The phallus was part of the classical man’s body, sexuality and sensuality – which, by the way, not only applies to men, but for females as well. The Greco-Romans had a profound relationship with sexual organs and acts, which, the modern man – apparently influenced by the rules of Christianity, might find obscene. A part of Simon Goldhill’s discussions on sexuality is the root of homosexuality. The Greeks had a particular fondness over a scenario where a bearded male desires a beardless lad. In today’s terms, this is the so-called pedophilia, as practiced through the inter-crural activity. This involves the placing of one’s penis between the partner’s thighs, may it be front or rear, followed by thrusting to attain sexual pleasure. Greeks from the seventh century, reinforced pederasty among men from the upper-class society, especially in their twenties, to acquire a young boy approximately aged 12 to love and nurture until he grows to marry at age 30, and later take a boy of his own. Practicing pederasty reinforced late marriage for these males, in the hopes of reducing the possibility of overpopulation, as well as to improve the education – initiation and instruction, of the ancient Greek youth. On Greek vases, one can find a picture of the bearded man – erastes, and the beardless youth – eromenos, as the erastes touches the eromenos’s genitals. The erastes takes the intiative as the eromenos remains passive. But, the ancient Greeks prohibited the relationship between a bearded man with yet another bearded man, and it was shameful that a bearded man becomes the passive one – or pathikos. The pedagogical pederasty is an illustration of a father-son relationship, where the erastes acts as a substitute father to help the young lad on his way to manhood, maturity, and to orient him to become a productive part of the society. The erastes demonstrates this affection by little presents ranging from a bottle of oil to money. The relationship was beneficial in both parties – the erastes provides education, protection, love and a role model for the eromenos – who offers beauty and admiration in turn. In modern theory, this is called sexual reciprocity. Gay does not necessarily mean one is less man or woman than a heterosexual. The ancient Greeks have never defined it in that way. Pedagogical pederasty and the sexual reciprocity that follows it are acts that only show the so-called love – in whichever form you wish to see it, may it be erotic or platonic. However, if we do know the origins of homosexuality, how does it actually affect us as individuals? We do obtain the full understanding of our identities in terms of our sexuality, and the understanding of others’ sexuality. This book simply implies the basic lesson of respect.

The Indus Water Treaty

The Indus Water Treaty 13. The Indus flows through the north-west of India and Pakistan. It arises within Tibet from a holy lake called Mansarovar, the mouth of the lion. After rising in Tibet, the Indus runs north-west between the Karakoram and the Himalayas. In Kashmir, the river crosses the Line of Control (LoC) and enters Baltistan. The principal tributaries of the Indus in the west are Kabul and Khurram rivers, while its five main tributaries in the East are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers. INDUS BASIN RIVERS 14. The British laid the foundation of the Indus Basin River System in the late 19th Century. The system did exist prior to the British annexation of the area but in a rudimentary form. The irrigation network constructed during the British rule, especially after 1885, was based on perennial canals which led off from river-spanning weirs and head works. Vast areas which had remained inaccessible under the traditional irrigation system were brought under cultivation by this canal system. In the Punjab, two major systems of irrigation were developedBari Doab and the Sutlej Valley Project. 15. In the 19th century, the British constructed most of what is today the worlds largest contiguous irrigation system in the Indus Basin. However, the boundaries between the two states drawn in 1947 paid no attention to hydrology. Eighty per cent of the irrigated area was in Pakistan, but after Partition a large portion of the headwaters for the rivers which serviced most of this immense area were in Indian-held Kashmir. 16. Seeing that India and Pakistan were unable to resolve this issue, the World Bank offered its help. After 10 years of intense negotiation, in 1960 the IWT was signed by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Pakistani President Ayub Khan and the World Bank. 17. Originally designed as one scheme  [4]  , however, with the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, including the province of Punjab, the Indus system was also divided; while the head works fell to India, the canals ran through Pakistan. With a view to attaining the most complete and satisfactory utilization of the waters of the Indus basin and recognizing the need for fixing and delimiting the rights and obligations of each country in relation to the other , both states, as part of the Indus Waters Treaty agreed to following provisions of the treaty:- Essential Provisions  [5]  of the Treaty 18. There are four essential elements to the treaty (Articles of treaty attached as appendices). The first relates to the division of the waters. The waters of the three western rivers (the Indus, the Jhelum and the Chenab) were allocated to Pakistan, and the waters of the three eastern rivers (the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej) were allocated to India. 19. The second was a financing plan to assist Pakistan in building the vast replacement works (Tarbela Dam on the Indus and Mangla on the Jhelum in Pakistan-held Kashmir and the massive link canals) which were needed to store and transport water from rivers in the west to the irrigated areas of Pakistan. India contributed about 20% of the almost $1 billion (in 1960 dollars) required. 20. The third element relates to use of the hydroelectric potential of Pakistans rivers before they reach Pakistan. This was a major bone of contention in the negotiations. India had a legitimate desire to harness the hydroelectric potential of Pakistans rivers before the rivers reached the Line of Control. Pakistan was well aware that the 10 backbone of its economy was irrigated agriculture that was built around the natural flows of the rivers, and thus worried that its security would be seriously compromised if India built dams which could alter the timing of water coming to Pakistan, especially from the Jhelum and the Chenab. The compromise reached in the IWT was that India could use the hydro potential on the rivers, but that there would be restrictions on the manipulable storage that India could construct on these rivers, thus eliminating the possibility of the dams being operated in a way that would adversely affect Pakistan. 21. The fourth element of the treaty is the dispute resolution mechanism, which sets up rules whereby first recourse is for the Indian and Pakistani IWT commissioners to resolve potential problems. If this fails then there are provisions for external arbitration, either through a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank, or through an international court of arbitration. Treaty as Success Story 22. The treaty is widely described as the only institutional mechanism that has worked between India and Pakistan over the past 50 years. In part this is because of the intelligent design of the treaty, but it is also true that it worked because for decades India did very little to develop the hydropower resources on the Jhelum and the Chenab in Indian-held Kashmir. 11 Effects of the Treaty 23. Positive Aspects for Pakistan. The treaty assured  [6]  Pakistan, permanent water supply for its canal system. The principal benefits were:- (a) It helped Pakistan gain independence from India for ensuring its supplies by binding India to a formal international treaty. (b) The treaty helped regulate the flows of the Indus and its tributaries. About 80 percent of the total water is produced during the monsoon period July to September. Storage projects undertaken due to the treaty ensure water availability during winters and enhanced canal diversions. (c) It helped to revolutionize the agricultural sector. 24. Negative Aspects for Pakistan. The negative outcome for Pakistan was the loss of eastern rivers and with this, land surrounding these rivers largely irrigated by traditional methods was adversely affected. However, this loss was compensated by the construction of storage reservoirs, canals and diversions. The other drawback was the rise in inter-provincial discord, especially in recent years, due to reduced flow in the Indus. 12 25. Positive Aspects for India. The major benefits that accrued from the treaty to India were :- (a) The treaty enabled India to harness the eastern rivers to its benefit. It helped in diverting waters to arid areas like Rajasthan and develop irrigation facilities. (b) India could also build run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants on the western rivers and flood control storage facilities, though no storage facilities have been built so far. 26. Negative Aspects for India. The losses to India were :- (a) Ceding western rivers to Pakistan hampered growth of Jammu Kashmir, as water resources in the state could not be harnessed. (b) Increased differences amongst basin states as they began contending higher allocation of water. (c) Absence of an exit clause in the treaty shut Indias options, though Article XII of the treaty provides for a modification of the treaty. 13 Resolution of Salal Dam Controversy C:UsersAdminPicturesSALAL DAM.bmp 27. After the signing of Indus Waters Treaty, the first dispute India and Pakistan were engaged in was over the construction of the Salal Dam by India on the Chenab River. Under the terms of the Treaty, India submitted its plan to the Permanent Indus Commission for Pakistans approval in 1968. A run of- the-river  [7]  hydroelectric project, Salal was deemed crucial for the agricultural needs of the Indian Punjab and economic progress of the country. In 1974 Pakistan officially objected to the design of Salal project arguing that it did not confirm to the criteria for design of such hydroelectric projects laid down under the Treaty. 28. During the course of the negotiations, several options were discussed for reaching to a final settlement including resort to the arbitration procedure provided in the Treaty. Finally, India agreed to make some changes in the design of the dam including reducing 14 the height of the dam and to the permanent closure of the diversion canal after the hydel plant had been commissioned. 29. The resolution of this dispute was hailed in both countries and is still quoted as a case of successful diplomacy over water sharing between Pakistan and India due to the concessions made under the Salal Agreement signed in April 1978. Challenges to the Treaty Although the Indus Rivers support the worlds largest irrigation system, the unused waters of the rivers, which now go to waste into the Arabian Sea, have an equally large useful potential. These could reclaim from the desert an area equal to that already developed. Another 26 million acres could be turned into smiling fields of wheat and rice and cotton food for hungry and work for the unemployed [Shivananda, 1961: 4-5, emphasis added] 30. Over the last decade this situation has changed dramatically. India has initiated a major programme of hydropower development across its Himalayan region. As part of this strategy, and in part to try to address the grievances of the Kashmiri people, India has constructed and is constructing and planning a large number of large hydropower projects on the headwaters of Pakistans rivers (the Indus and especially the Jhelum and Chenab) in Indian-held Kashmir. 15 31. Almost all the disputes over water that have arisen between India and Pakistan are about dam projects constructed or being constructed by one of the two parties. The negotiations over these issues involve divergent concerns and interests, based on their interpretations of the Indus Water Treaty. Under this unprecedented pressure, the IWT is creaking. The Indian perspective is that Pakistan uses the treaty to put an unending set of obstacles in Indias path. The Pakistani perspective is that New Delhi operates with impunity, and that the cumulative upstream water storage being created by India constitutes an existential threat to Pakistans security. The major disputes have been over the following projects:- Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project 32. The second challenge to the treaty came regarding the construction of the Wullar Barrage, as it is called by Paksitan, or Tulbul Navigation Project as termed by India. The dispute arose in 1984 when India began to build the barrage and navigational project at the mouth of the Wullar Lake on the River Jhelum. In 1986, Pakistan referred the case to the Indus Commission, and in 1987 work was halted on the project by India. The main point of dispute is that Pakistan views the project as a storage work while India claims that it is a navigational project. 16 33. These divergent positions are further urged in the light of specific provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty. For Pakistan, the project violates Article I (11) that prohibits both parties from undertaking any man-made obstruction that may cause a change in the volume of water. Article III (4) prohibits India from storing any water on the western rivers. Further, sub-para 8 (h) entitles India to construct incidental storage work on the western rivers only after the design has been scrutinized and approved by Pakistan. Its storage capacity should not exceed 10,000 acre feet of water. Pakistan argues that the existing water level in the Wullar Lake is enough for small boats to navigate between Baramula and Srinagar, so there is no need to store additional water. It further argues that the dams storage capacity was 32 times more than the 10,000 maf capacity provided under the Indus Waters Treaty. 34. India, on the contrary, contends that despite the broad principles governing the Treaty, India has been allowed, under certain conditions, to construct a barrage in the light of Article 3 (4) conditions, which are enlisted in Annexure D and E of the Treaty. India views the project as an attempt to make the Jhelum navigable, not a reservoir. 35. Controlling water for navigation is permissible under the Treaty. More than a dozen rounds of talks have been held to date over the construction of this barrage but it remains the oldest and longest lasting water dispute between India and Pakistan. 17 The Baglihar Dam Issue http://wikimapia.org/p/00/00/52/34/74_big.jpg 36. The differing views of Islamabad and New Delhi first came to a head after India started constructing the 450 megawatt (MW) Baglihar project in 1999 on the Chenab River. Pakistan believed that the Indian design violated the IWT because the dam included gated spillways which meant that the manipulable storage was larger than that allowed under the IWT. The Indian view was that if they were unable to operate the reservoir more flexibly, it would rapidly fill with silt, as had happened in the earlier Salal project. The Indian and Pakistani IWT commissioners were unable to resolve the difference, with Pakistan asking the World Bank to appoint a neutral expert in 2005. 37. The essence of the neutral experts verdict, delivered in 2007, was that: the IWT had a provision for updating the implementation of the treaty as new knowledge accumulated; what has emerged as global good practice for silt management would be 18 impossible with the rigidities of the treaty; and therefore India should be allowed to draw water out of the dam at lower levels than those specified in the treaty. 38. To understand this interpretation a brief technical digression is needed. Water stored behind a dam is divided between live storage, which the operator of the dam can manage through both gated spillways and power intakes, and lower-level dead storage, which the operator cannot manage as he does not have outlets in the dam low enough to release this water. 39. The neutral expert, applying considerable semantic subtlety, essentially argued that live storage was not the same as manipulable storage. He argued that only storage that could be used for the operational purpose of generating power constituted live storage. So if India was creating more manipulable storage on the grounds that this was necessary for silt management, then, in the judgment of the neutral expert, this was not live storage and should be allowed. This finding would only make sense if Pakistans concern in the treaty was to define exactly where the power outlets could be in the Indian dams (which it never was and is not). But it makes no sense if Pakistans concern was Indias capacity to manipulate flows into Pakistan (which it always was and still is). 40. For Pakistan the (non-appealable) Baglihar verdict was a huge blow because it reinterpreted the IWT to remove the fundamental physical protection (limits in manipulable storage) which Pakistan had against the creation of an Indian ability to seriously manipulate the timing of flows of water into Pakistan. 19 41. From the Pakistan perspective, salt was rubbed into this raw wound when India did not (in Pakistans view) comply with the IWT-specified process for filling Baglihar. The Kishenganga Hydroelectric Project 42. Present flashpoint of Kishenganga Hydroelectric project in Indian-held Kashmir is unique. In India the westward-flowing Jhelum River has two main tributaries. The northern tributary, which flows at a substantially higher elevation  [8]  in the foothills of the Himalayas, is the Neelum River. The southern tributary, which flows at a much lower elevation, is the Jhelum itself. The two tributaries join just after they reach Pakistan. This odd configuration offers a unique opportunity build a barrage across the Neelum, build a tunnel down to the Jhelum, put a power station at the bottom and generate substantial amounts of power. There are two obvious sites where this can be done one upstream in India and one downstream in Pakistan. ALT.jpg (36381 bytes) 20 43. The engineers who drew up the IWT were well aware of these possibilities and stipulated that India could build its project only if there is no existing use which will be affected in Pakistan. India is now building the eastern scheme (the 330 MW Kishenganga project) while Pakistan is building the western scheme (the 1,000 MW Neelum-Jhelum project). The immediate stakes and investments are large approximately $350 million in India and $1,000 million in Pakistan. Disillusioned with the neutral expert process after Baglihar, in May 2010 Pakistan declared this to be a dispute to be taken to a Court of Arbitration. 44. The Neelum-Jhelum case is unique because it is the one case in the Indus Basin where there is an intrinsic conflict between India and Pakistan. In all of the other cases upstream storage of water in India could, if normal relations pertained, easily be translated into benefits for downstream Pakistan. These benefits would include the more reliable timing of flows, storage of water during floods and perhaps even energy sharing. 45. The situation is further complicated by the fact that India has a series of hydropower projects being planned, designed and constructed on the headwaters of Pakistans three rivers which will create something like 40 days of live storage on the Chenab alone. From the Pakistani perspective this ability to hold and release water constitutes a serious threat to water security in Pakistan. 21 IWT: Internal Regional Problems 46. Besides these dam projects, there are several internal and regional issues that strain the Indus Waters Treaty. The most important is the view of the people in Jammu and Kashmir who see the Treaty as exploiting  [9]  their rights by both India and Pakistan. People of the northern areas in Pakistan are also opposed to dam projects in Pakistan like the Mangla dam. 47. Secondly, hostile anti-Pakistan segments in India view the Indus Water Treaty as giving undue concessions to Pakistan, which Prime Minister Nehru signed to purchase peace. Since it did not bring peace to Kashmir, they want to revisit the concessions given to Pakistan under the Treaty. 48. Third, Pakistan also has serious problems regarding the sharing of Indus waters among its four provinces. This is evident with entrenched controversy being present in the country on every planned dam. The shortage of water has deep political, economic and social effects. For example, farmers in Sindh point their fingers at Punjabi landlords, and accuse them of stealing their share of the Induss water. 49. Finally, there are environmental and ecological changes which call for consideration. Because of climate change, the Himalayan glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. For water resources, this means an increase in water initially due to 22 flooding. Within the next 50 years, however, experts believe there will be a 30 to 40 percent  [10]  drop in glacial melt because the glaciers will have receded. A strategy to create more storage capacity for water is the only option available, but one has to remember that glacial melt is not only water but also silt that will reduce the capacity of the reservoirs. This aspect has not been considered at the political level or at least has not gained prominence. 50. Essentially the following two features have shaped Pakistan-India water politics: (a) The underlying concern of both states is the political aspects that water entails. This aspect is believed to be the catalyst  [11]  behind the hydro politics in which both countries are engaged. Thus, the discussion on water issues has always been there in almost every dialogue between India and Pakistan, and now it figures in the high level talks that reflects the dominance of water issues. (b) Most of the time, Pakistan being the lower riparian follows up on these issues on sharing of waters more vigorously. It has objected to almost all the projects planned by India on the western rivers calling them a violation of the 23 Indus Water Treaty. Nonetheless, India does not accept this view and takes defensive positions.

On the Waterfront Essay -- Film

Interpersonal relationships are a potent entity that wildly flutter, like a liberated pigeon, through the miserable docks of Elia Kazan’s 1954 film ‘On the Waterfront,’ shaping the moral metamorphosis of protagonist Terry Malloy – from an analysts perspective, the ‘power’ source of the film. Terry’s voyage from an inarticulate and diminished â€Å"bum† to a gallant â€Å"contender,† is the pedestal that the film gyrates around, however, it is palpable that Terry – a man branded with his primitive mores - is not equipped of emancipating himself from the self-preservative cycle of â€Å"D and D† singlehandedly. Therefore, the catalytic, moral facilitation of inspirational outsiders - Edie Doyle and Father Barry – are essential to the rewiring of Terry’s conscience and his propulsion into â€Å"testifying what is right against what is wrong.† However, rapports do not simply remain ‘st rong’ and stable for the entire duration of the film – they fluctuate. Terry shuffles closer to the side of morality each scene, portrayed by the simultaneous deterioration of Terry’s intertwinement with Johnny Friendly and â€Å"the mob† and intensification of his romantic involvement with Edie and confidence in Father Barry. Relationships fuel and glorify Terry’s powerful, audience-enthralling journey to morality. Nestled under the ‘hawkish’ wing of Johnny Friendly, the beginning of the film sees Terry Malloy a daft â€Å"bum,† too preoccupied by â€Å"standing with the right people, just to have a bit of change jingling in his pocket† to deeply contemplate morality. Tainted by a distressing antiquity, Terry Malloy has habituated to a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest,’ where â€Å"taking it out on their skulls† is the appropriate method of resolution. â€Å"Its eve... ...y. These factors, coupled with the incorporation of the heart-melting cheekbones of ‘Marlon Brando’ at his prime are more likely to have screamed ‘power’ in the eyes of a 1950’s audience, let alone the viewer of today. Also, the fact that ‘On the Waterfront’ mirrors Elia Kazan’s real-life decision to testify to the HUAC magnifies its validity to human nature and overall potency. As he trudges across the docks towards the unfamiliar, suit-clad man looming like utopia in the distance, Terry Malloy is clearly a product of his relationships. His rapport-catalyzed metamorphosis from a follower of Johnny Friendly to a genuine â€Å"contender† is profoundly powerful, however the ending is bleak – with corruption still lingering as the gate slides closed behind the men, engulfing them into another cycle of exploitation as Bernstein’s music reaches a haunting shrill.

Laughter :: essays research papers

A little old lady went into the Bank of Melbourne one day, carrying a bag of money. She insisted that she must speak with > the manager of the bank to open a savings account because, "It's a lot of money!" > After much hemming and hawing, the bank staff finally ushered her into the managers's office (the customer is always right!). The bank manager then asked her how much she would like to deposit. > She replied, "$165,000!" and dumped the cash out of her bag onto his desk. > The manager was of course curious as to how she came by all this cash, so he asked her, "Ma'am, I'm surprised you're carrying > so much cash around. Where did you get this money?" > The old lady replied, "I make bets." > The manager then asked, "Bets? What kind of bets?" > The old woman said, "Well, for example, I'll bet you $25,000 that your balls are square." > "Ha!" laughed the manager, "That's a stupid bet. You can never win that kind of bet!" > The old lady challenged, "So, would you like to take my bet?" > "Sure," said the manager, "I'll bet $25,000 that my balls are not square!" > The little old lady then said, "Okay, but since there is a lot of money involved, may I bring my lawyer with me tomorrow at 10am as a witness?" > "Sure!" replied the confident manager. > That night, the manager got very nervous about the bet and spent a long time in front of a mirror checking his balls,turning from side to side, again and again. He thoroughly checked them out until he was sure that there was absolutely no way his balls were square and that he would win the bet. > The next morning, at precisely 10am, the little old lady appeared with her lawyer at the manager's office. She introduced the lawyer to the manager and repeated the bet "$25,000 says the manager's balls are square!" The manager agreed with the bet > again and the old lady asked him to drop his pants so they could all see. The manager complied.

The Beatles :: Essay on The Beatles

The Beatles It was new! It was wild! It was weird! But for the 60'8, it was fabulous! On February 12, 1964 in old Camegie Hall, the place in New York where classical musicians played, there was music history being made that day by four young musicians. Their music was loud. It came thundering out of the electric amplifiers that was drowned out by screams of fans! The musicians emerged on the scene like fireworks! Thousands of teenagers packed Carnegie Hall. They squealed, groaned, howled and stamped their feet until the old building shook! Outside stood crowds of young people trying to catch a glimpse of the new sound that was emerging fl-om the old building. The sign outside of Carnegie Hall said: THE BEATLES Puzzled adults were asking, "Who are the Beatles?" and "What are the Beatles?" They would soon find out. A quartet of extraordinarily talented British musicians whom John Lennon started as "The Quarryrnen". They were working class heros, all born in Liverpool, England. Paul McCartney joined in 1957, George Harrison in 1958 and Ringo Star in 1962. One of the guitarist in the group, John Lennon (October 9, 1940-December 8,1980) was born to Fred and Julia Lennon who divorced when John was three. He was brought up by his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. John hated school, discipline and the teachers who always abused him. Even though he was often in trouble, it did not mean he did everything bad. He was sent at the age of 16 to Liverpool Art College where he first heard Elvis Presley sing " Heart Break Hotel'. From that day on music was everything to John. His first group started in 1955 and was named, "The Quanymen". There were several different individuals in the band. John married Yoko Ono in 1969. On December 8, 1980, John and Yoka were leaving their New York City apartment, when 25 year old Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon. James Paul McCartney was born June 8, 1942 to Mary and Jim McCartney, who was a cotton salesman during the day and a jazz musicians at night. Paul grew up with music and joined the band in 1961. John Lennon and Paul wrote and sang most of the Beatles songs. They eventually established themselves as the most popular song writing team in rock history. George Harrison was born February 25, 1943 to Mr .and Mrs. Harold Harrison, a bus At a young age, George showed his independent nature by wearing jeans and growing his hair long. George's strict parents soon toned down his rebellion.

Ethan Frome: Tragic figure that function

Ethan Frome: Tragic figure that functions as an instrument of the suffering of others ay cache1897 unit Four: Ethan Frome In the novella Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, main character Ethan Frome is a man that faces many disappointments as well no self-assurance. Ethan Frome is definitely a tragic flgure that functions as an Instrument of the suffering of others In the novel. Ethan Frome overall is a very tragic tale of misery and suffering, and any of the main characters involved can be connected to that suffering.Wharton makes Ethan not only the victim, but the function of all the other characters suffering to ruly get In depth with the flaws that Ethan possesses. Zeena, Ethan FromeS wife experiences much suffering due to Ethan. Ethan spent his whole life never being able to stand up for himself. He chose to marry Zeena for the sole reason that she would end his loneliness. It could have also been the fact that he felt bad that she dedicated her life to taking care of Ethan's mom. Ne xt, Ethan decided to give Zeena a loveless relationship.Never in the text does Ethan show any sort of emotion toward his wife, nor does she show any towards him. Ethan is omewhat awful towards the one in which he personally chose to be his wife. He chooses to go to â€Å"work† rather than drive her to the doctor, he decides to pursue another woman who Is his wife's cousin, and lastly, he chooses to kill himself for the sake of his own independence and his â€Å"love† for Mattie. Zeena however, can be aggravating at times which causes Ethan to act certain ways. Zeena tragically has â€Å"hypochondria† which brings out the cold, unhappy, domineering woman who whines and complains incessantly.Ethan lets Zeena dominate him which shows his flaw of eing subordinate. These mistakes eventually lead to his fall. It Is clearly seen that Zeena uses Illness to get Ethan's attention and love he hasnt been giving. Zeena makes it hard for Ethan to show how he feels about Matti e in his heart, because when she comes around, Ethan Is blindsided by her thoughts in his head. â€Å"†¦ but there was only one thought in my mind: the fact that, for the first time since Mattie had come to live with them, Zeena was to be away for the night.He wondered if the girl were thinking of it too†¦ † (40). Another main character is Mattie Silver, who is he desired women Ethan wants to be with rather than his wife. From early descriptions of Mattie, she appears to be the silvery maiden whose arrival Into Ethan Frome's desperate life provides love and hope. Wharton describes Mattie as being a lively and happy young woman, before her suicide attempt that leaves her an invalid and a former shadow of herself. Her name, Mattie Silver, symbolizes the glistening and beauty of a piece of sterling silver.Wharton also states â€Å"The pure air, and the long summer hours In the open, gave life and elasticity to Mattie† (Wharton 60). Thls quote give Mattie the ima ge of someone with great beauty and personality. Ethan has strong feelings for Mattie and it turns out that the maiden has mutual feelings. Because she has feelings for him, and the sweetness of spirit to interest him in return, the resulting tragedies occur. She develops a catastrophic attitude. She had the mindset that if she couldnt be with Ethan, and be happy, then she doesn't want 1 OF2 sne tnen encourages Etnan to take tne slea down ana commit sulc10e wltn her.Her spontaneous and drastic emotions that are tied up with Ethan lead to much uffering. The fact that Ethan quickly agrees to commit suicide shows that he isn't really self-reliant and doesn't think for himself. Wharton shows a flaw that Ethan possesses which in turns cause much suffering for him and Mattie. Ethan Frome is definitely painted as a tragic figure in his crippled state of misery. His tragic flaw could be that he is too indebted to family, and feels too much obligation to them. This brings him home to care fo r his parents, and won't allow him to leave his wife to seek happiness.It's a good trait, loyalty, but in this case it eeps him shackled in a miserable situation, that, because he won't resolve it in a different way, leads to his tragic and spontaneous decision on the day he decides to go sledding with the women he truly desired. Although Ethan may have suffered, his suffering impacted the people around him. Ethan and his wife represent a broken relationship. It is very ironic how the pickle dish Zeena cherishes is broken. The fact that Zeena's cat breaks the pickle dish is significant. The cat is already symbolically linked with Zeena.

How does human cruelty darken Browning’s poetry? Essay

On the one hand, some people agree that the recurring theme of human acts of cruelty, such as murder and deceit, throughout his poetry instils a sense of darkness. An example that supports this is the joy and delight that the female narrator feels in ‘The Laboratory’- â€Å"invisible pleasures†, which gives an impression of uncontainable excitement as she helps concoct her deadly poison for which she has high admiration, as it finally allows her to get her revenge, emphasising a sinister tone in the poem as the woman revels in the pain she is about to cause, holding no remorse. This can be compared to the similar way in which the persona of the duke in ‘My Last Duchess’ also shows no remorse or guilt for the presumed murder of his duchess, darkening the air of the poem as, combined with the warning implications of further intentions to keep his next duchess exactly where he believed she was supposed to be within society, he seemingly has no fear of be ing caught and if so, punished, showing the danger in the immense amount of power he holds. On the other hand, I partly disagree with this statement as Browning also incorporates social realism and satirical comedy into his work, to portray the hypocritical yet casual nature of cruelty within society, such as in ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’. The brutality of humans within this poem is represented by the contrast between the theoretical behaviour of a jester-like figure and a well-dressed mayor, and the actual way in which they behave showing that a person cannot be judged by appearances, in a comedic manner. This is similar to ‘The Patriot’ as Browning used a consistent rhyming scheme to represent the way in which society has and never will change over time, and people will always look for someone to blame life’s problems on. Another reason for my opposition to this statement, based on Browning’s ‘Pied Piper of Hamelin’ is that the cruelty portrayed within the poem is not necessarily a result of human behaviour, but rather an otherworldly being; â€Å"no guessing his kith or kin†, which suggests that nobody could distinguish where he had come from as he was so different to everybody else. On the contrary to this, many would agree with the statement that human acts of cruelty darken Browning’s poetry because the pied piper abducts the innocent children of Hamelin for a crime they themselves had not committed, emphasising how truly evil his actions were. By taking the children, the piper literally took the fresh, new life out of the town, which has connotations of light and happiness, therefore meaning the piper managed to take the light out of the town and poem. Furthermore, darkness descends upon Browning’s work as a result of the introduction of human cruelty, especially in ‘The Patriot’ in the way that society so easily turned against their leader after he had failed to give them what they wanted, despite his best intentions in trying to give them everything that was best for them, and punished him by seeing him die up close from the best possible view in a humiliating and demeaning public execution. On other hand, some disagree: Laboratory- sympathy felt for the poisoner, so some justification felt/admiration of her strength as only female narrative MLD- charismatic duke/ justification of his actions.