The Glass Menagerie Essay Summary Example For Students

The Glass Menagerie Essay Summary The play the Glass Menagerie supports the theme of illusions. A menagerie, a zoo, refers to a group of inhuman creatures. Since the creatures are glass, they are very fragile and not real. The title specifically refers to Lauras collection of glass animals mainly horses. To escape the harshness of reality, Laura spends hours playing with the menagerie; this is an imaginary world for her. It is not only Laura, it is all of the Wingfields, they are all fragile enough to break easily. They burn with the slow and impeccable fires of human desperation. The Glass Menagerie is a sad story of hopelessness and tragedy, a story of human nature and how it affects peoples lives. The story itself may not seem tragic but the social downfall of the Wingfields in itself is tragic. We will write a custom essay on The Glass Menagerie Summary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Williams shows the Southern family in decline, with certain members holding desperately to past visions of grandeur. Amanda Wingfield desperately clings to her romanticized memories of her southern past. Williams makes it clear that her memories are just mere illusions. The south has a tragic history, just like Amanda and Rose. As you read into the play, you understand that the Wingfields live in a life of fantasy wrapped in tragedy. Many aspects of their life, I believe, are very depressing and heartbreaking. Such is the case of Amanda Wingfield. A southern girl, who had the opportunity to marry very rich husbands. She takes a wrong turn and marries a drunk who deserts he, there is no coming back from the one mistake. Everyday she reminisces about her past life and how glorious it once was. Tennessee Williams uses this as a perfect way to compare their present life to their past, creating a feeling of misery and pain. These feelings of misery and hopelessness are enforced by her childrens sorrows and wretched lives. As Laura develops a inferiority complex after going to school for one day, the reader develops a sense of compassion. Tom Wingfield is also a major reason for the families suffering. In his nightly walks to the movies and then him deserting his family as did his father. He leaves behind him a trail of sorrow and a tragic future is inevitable. Therefore, the dreary non-functioning of the Wingfields becomes symbolic of the non-functioning of a world beyond St. Louis.

10 Quotes About Summer Love

10 Quotes About Summer Love Summer has always been considered  the most romantic of the four seasons. The clear skies, the blazing sun, the gentle summer breeze, and the lazy afternoons flavor the season with passion and warm love. Its also a time when many experience the passion and heartbreak of young love while on summer vacation. The lovers are destined to part at summers end, returning to their distant homes and inevitable loss. These summer love quotes attempt to celebrate this fervent spirit of summer love. Summer Love Quotes Anonymous All we need is the truth in our hand.Someone to call a friend.Never fear the darkness.All we need is just the sun in the sky.And the hope of a summer to come with the meaning of love. Robert Burton What is life, when wanting love? Night without a morning; loves the cloudless summer sun, nature gay adorning. Swedish Proverb A life without love is like a year without summer. Anonymous Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmers year- it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. Francis Thompson Summer set lip to earths bosom bare,And left the flushed print in a poppy there Edna St. Vincent Millay I know I am but summer to your heart, and not the full four seasons of the year. William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summers day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summers lease hath all too short a date.Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmedBut thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owst,Nor shall Death brag thou wandrest in his shadeWhen in eternal lines to time thou growst.So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Alexander Pope But see, the shepherds shun the noonday heat,The lowing herds to murmuring brooks retreat,To closer shades the panting flocks remove;Ye gods! And is there no relief for love? Bern Williams If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. Carl Sandburg Under the summer rosesWhen the flagrant crimsonLurks in the duskOf the wild red leaves,Love, with little hands,Comes and touches youWith a thousand memories,And asks youBeautiful, unanswered questions. Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. Theyre shooting stars, spectacular moments of light from the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash theyre gone. Kenny Chesney Its a smile, its a kiss, its a sip of wine ... its summertime! Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, Summer Nights Summer loving had me a blastSummer loving happened so fastI met a girl crazy for meMet a boy cute as can beSummer days drifting away to oh oh the summer nights

The Nature-Culture Divide

The Nature-Culture Divide Nature and culture are often seen as opposite ideas- what belongs to nature cannot be the result of human intervention and, on the other hand, cultural development is achieved against nature. However, this is by far not the only take on the relationship between nature and culture. Studies in the evolutionary development of humans suggest that culture is part and parcel of the ecological niche within which our species thrived, thus rendering culture a chapter in the biological development of a species. An Effort Against Nature Several modern authors- such as Rousseau- saw the process of education as a struggle against the most eradicated tendencies of human nature. Humans are born with wild dispositions, such as the one of using violence to achieve one’s own goals, to eat and behave in a disorganized fashion, and/or to act egotistically. Education is that process which uses culture as an antidote against our wildest natural tendencies; it is thanks to culture that the human species could progress and elevate itself above and beyond other species. A Natural Effort Over the past century and a half, however, studies in the history of human development have clarified how the formation of what we refer to as culture in an anthropological sense is part of the biological adaptation of our ancestors to the environmental conditions in which they came to live.Consider, for example, hunting. Such an activity seems an adaptation, which allowed hominids to move from the forest into the savannah some millions of year ago, opening up the opportunity to change diet and living habits. At the same time, the invention of weapons is directly related to that adaptation- but from weapons descend also a whole series of skill sets characterizing our cultural profile, from butchering tools to ethical rules relating to the proper use of weapons (e.g., should they be turned against other human beings or against uncooperative species?). Hunting also seems responsible for a whole set of bodily abilities, such as balancing on one foot as humans are the only primates that can do that. Now, think of how this very simple thing is crucially connected to dance, a key expression of human culture. It is then clear that our biological development is closely tied to our cultural development. Culture as an Ecological Niche The view that came to be most plausible over the past decades seems to be that culture is part of the ecological niche within which humans live. Just as snails carry their shell, so do we bring along our culture. Now, the transmission of culture seems not to be directly related to the transmission of genetic information. Certainly the significant overlap between the genetic makeup of humans is a premise for the development of a common culture that can be passed along from one generation to the next. However, cultural transmission is also horizontal among individuals within the same generation or among individuals belonging to different populations. You can learn how to make lasagna even if you were born from Korean parents in Kentucky just as you can learn how to speak Tagalog even if none of your immediate family or friends speak that language. Further Readings on Nature and Culture The online sources on the nature-culture divide are scarce. Luckily, there are a number of good bibliographical resources that can help out. Here is a list of few of the more recent ones, from which older takes on the topic can be recovered: Peter Watson, The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New, Harper, 2012.Alan H. Goodman, Deborah Heat, and Susan M. Lindee, Genetic Nature/Culture: Anthropology and Science Beyond the Two-Culture Divide, University of California Press, 2003.Rodney James Giblett, The Body of Nature and Culture, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

How can California become a more small business friendly state Essay

How can California become a more small business friendly state - Essay Example Whichever the reason, there is the need to enhance the attractiveness of California as a state, towards the small business enterprises. This paper therefore, examines the root causes of California’s low rank in small business friendliness, and the possible ways of enhancing the state’s attractiveness towards the small business enterprises. Fundamentally, the United States was once considered the hub of small businesses but this mantle appears to be shifting away due to the hostile environments of some states to small business people. Perhaps, this is due to lack of proper policies that would encourage many small businesses to thrive in certain states within the U.S. For instance, California has been on the business headlines for the wrong reasons, especially as far as attracting and retaining small businesses is concerned. In the year 2013, the small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBC) ranked all the fifty states in the U.S. according to their levels of business friendliness. The results of the survey were astonishing because, California persistently remained at the bottom despite concerted efforts to woo small entrepreneurs into the state. Definitely, it is important to fist examine the eligibility criteria for small businesses in the United States and how some states have enforced this policy to their advantage. Intrinsically, there are certain requirements that businesses seeking certification in the United States must meet. The first requirement is that all small businesses must be operated and owned independently without any interference whatsoever from the government or any other interest group. Of course, the fact that it is a small business only means that such an enterprise should not dominate over other enterprises in the build of interest. More specifically, any small business seeking certification in California must have its main offices situated in California. Of course, this is a requisite

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 - Essay Example The National Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed the would - be voters in the United States take literacy tests to qualify to register to vote, and it provided for to vote, and it provided for federal registration of voters in areas that had less than 50% of eligible minority voters registered. The Act also provided for Department of Justice oversight to registration, and the Department's approval for any change in voting law in districts that had used as a "device" to limit voting and in which less than 50% of the population was registered to vote in 1964. It was signed in 1965, and signed for a 25 year extension by George W. Bush on July, 2006. National Association for the Advancement of Colored people (NAACP) was founded in New York in 1909 for the purpose to improve the living condition of Black Americans at that time. Although their conditions improved enormously, many differences existed in the rights of United States citizens because of ethnic origin; The NAACP continued to seek a single class of citizenship for every American. W.E.B. Du Bois an American writer in 1895 argued that "blacks should accept their social status and work to improve their lives through economic means". The association also secured the elimination of the so- called "grandfather clause", a clause in the voting laws of certain Southern States that permitted only those people to vote whose grandfathers had voted. Because the grandfathers of blacks had been slaves so could not vote, this clause effectively denied enfranchisement to blacks. With the help of organized labour and by various minority groups, civic, and fraternal organizations, the NAACP went on to lead the efforts that resulted in the enactment of the Civil Rights of 1957 and 1964, the voting Rights Act of 1965, and Fair Housing Act of 1968. W.E. Bois says in his magazine, "to stand for the rights of men, irrespective of colour or race, for the highest ideals of American democracy, and for reasonable but earnest and persistent attempts to gain these rights and realize these ideals."* *The Crisis, a magazine founded in 1910 by the American writer and sociologist W.E. Du Bois In 1948 Gerald R. Ford was elected to the US House of Representatives. During his tenure he favored increasing the defense budget, and he usually voted for civil rights legislation. In 1965 he was elected minority leader of the House of Representatives. Among the practices that have been the objects of electoral reforms are actual or threatened physical violence; concealed pressures such as those exercised by some

Julius Caesar Essay: Gender Transformation of Caesar -- Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar: Gender Transformation of Caesar  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare's Julius Caesar opens with the concurrent celebrations of Caesar's defeat of Pompey and the annual fertility festival of Lupercal. The coupling of the two historically separate events each celebrating distinct gender roles dramatically highlights the importance of gender characterization. Rome's patriarchal society demands a leader who embodies the virile spirit of the state with leadership marked by strength, courage, and constancy. Caesar quite fittingly assumes this role as he returns valiant and victorious from the battlefields; thus, in order to remove him the strong ruler of Rome, Caesar's enemies must retrench his masculinity. Roman society considers women as the embodiment of weaknesses, thinking that their physical, mental, and political inferiority make them of little use beyond reproductive purposes, explaining why aspirants to the throne feminize the identity of the masculine warrior figure to position him as unfit for the crown. The portrayal of the two female characters of the novel, Portia and Calphurnia, captures the prevailing stereotypical perceptions of women. Caesar's wife, Calphurnia, demonstrates women's predisposition towards fearfulness and superstition when she pleads with Caesar to remain at home after dreaming that a statue made in the likeness was Cesar pouring forth blood. Calphurnia establishes the sentiment that fear is a feminine trait with her entreaty to Caesar asking him to use her anxiety as an alibi, saying, "Do not go forth today. Call it my fear." (2.2.50). Caesar agrees to this arrangement temporarily with a veiled acknowledgment of the reality- a rhetorical question relating to the fact that he is "afeard to tell th... ... and Brutus. Cassius proclaims in his death "Guide thou the sword- Caesar, thou art revenged, /Eve with the sword that killed thee" (5.3.45-46). This conclusion of ultimate victory of the masculine spirit seems the only fitting outcome for Shakespeare to engineer if his play is to be a true reflection of Roman culture. Women hold value only in terms of the services that the provide which advance the interests of the masculine community, and in this case, the conspirators needed grounds to render Caesar inadequate for his position and feminizing him provides a useful mechanism in doing so. The retransformation of Caesar solidifies itself in Octavious' declaration to the world that "This was a man!," (5.5.75) reinforcing the notion that the masculine spirit will prevail in Roman society. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York: Simon, 1975.

Christmas Tradition Essay

All over the world people have their own traditions and customs. Some traditions and customs have been passed on to generation to generation, others are beginning to build their own whether they choose a holiday, a summer vacation, or a special event to celebrate each year. My family tradition did not come from generations past; however, ours began when my parents started their own family as husband and wife. My parents did not have any traditions in there generation. My mom and dad were always there for me we did everything together as a family; for instance, spending holidays together, vacations, birthdays, and Sunday night dinners. My parents have taught me the true meaning of family. I have built everlasting memories so that I can carry on my family’s tradition. Years later, I want to pull out that file of memories, think of my parents and smile. Thus when I think of Christmas time, what comes to my mind is a sense of togetherness, happiness, and laughter. Our family begins with getting a tree, decorating, baking cookies, opening our gifts we got from Santa Claus, and then finally have Christmas dinner. This marks the beginning of my family’s Christmas tradition. My family was not a big family, yet there were six of us: my mom and dad, my two sisters Danielle and Jennifer, my brother Christopher and me. We were living in Louisiana; it was my favorite out of all the other states we had lived in. It was in the country where all we saw were bamboo sticks which, were actually sugar cane fields; instead, I thought we lived next to a field of giant Pixie-Sticks. I ask my mom if we can get some of the giant canes for the Christmas tree. Of course my mom does not want to tell me they are too big for the tree; instead, she tells me to wait until we select a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is a big part of my family’s tradition. Every year my Dad took my siblings and me to get the Christmas tree; meanwhile my mom got the decorations down from the attic. We did not have to travel to get our tree because we had our own private enchanted forest; of course, it was one of the advantages of living here. Our backyard was bigger than two football fields combined. I remember walking along with my brothers and sisters following my dad showing us where the wooden bridge was where we all had gone fishing, naming all the different names of the trees. We had oak, walnut, pecan, and pine all sizes ranging from very little bitty to the biggest tallest ones that seemed to touch the clouds high in the sky. It was time consuming picking out the one tree we all agreed on; eventually, we did when my dad would remind us that Santa Claus only brings gifts to good children. Once we get back and dad sets up the tree in the living room by the window our favorite spot, so you can see it from the outside. Since we had to wait until dad was ready for us; at the same time, our mother has made the popcorn for us to make popcorn garland strings. We put the tree up in the same order every year, the lights, ornaments, popcorn garland, candy canes, and tinsel. My favorite part of decorating the tree is when my mom and dad tell me stories about the ornaments that they got when they were married, when my brother and sisters and I were born. I knew Christmas was around the corner because my dad told us a story every night, my favorite is the â€Å"Twelve Days of Christmas† because my dad only told us what he gave my mother gift every day till the twelve day to win her heart. My dad was good at making up stories that had all of his kid’s names in them. My mom was always in the kitchen baking cookies and I was always willing to help. I could only mix the eggs or put sprinkles on the cookies. We always had cookies and milk for when Santa Claus. Christmas day was finally here and my siblings and I were up before dawn running over to the tree to see if Santa Claus came. We were so excited there were so many presents wrapped perfectly with each of our names on it. We never had to wake our parents up I guess four kids squealing happily would wake up everyone. After we opened our gifts we would play with all of new toys. My sister Danielle was older so she got clothes and jewelry and music she loved to listen to, Jennifer and I were younger we got Barbie dolls and a dollhouse that reached us up to our waist, my brother Christopher got Matchbox cars and a race track to race the cars on. We played all day and watched the Christmas parade on the television. Our Christmas dinner is not your traditional turkey dinner. My mom would make us Italian food. It was the one time she made all of our favorite dishes: baked ziti, lasagna, cheese ravioli, and eggplant parmesan. We all would have a little of each dish . When we were done with dinner we would all sit and watch Miracle on 34th. Street. In conclusion I would say that I would not change my family’s tradition, I would pass it on to my kids when I have a family of my own.