Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West :: Rebecca West

Times of war and peace: Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West. Rebecca West (1892-1983) was a prolific writer who tried every literary genre; journalism, literary critique, the short story and the novel. Her first novel The Return of the Soldier published in 1918 spans half a century of creative output culminated in 1966 with her last novel The Birds Fall Down. However, all her narrative is easily identifiable because of her unmistakable style, the structure of her novels, the topics she chooses and the coherence of her ideas about mankind and society. Subsequently, all her novels are psychological, historical and social documents depicting human behavior in a precise historical and social context. West synthesizes what she observes rooting her ideas in British literary tradition. Her keen critical eye is both penetrating and enlightening, for example, when in The Return of the Soldier, Margaret Grey appears poorly dressed daring to invade the Baldry mansion with her mud covered boots, while Jenny, the narrator, expresses crude feelings of resentment towards Margaret and her social group. The latter is represented: ‘... as the rich hate the poor, as insect things that will struggle out of the crannies which are their decent home, and introduce ugliness to the light of day’ (West, 1918, rpt.1984: 32)1. West’s literary reputation was revived in the 1980s with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Her Black Lamb and Grey Falcon; A Journey through Yugoslavia (1941) brought her wide critical attention because this novel was the last of her efforts to understand the pre-war situation. Furthermore, it was central to West’s next book, The Meaning of Treason (1947), where she concentrated on the psychological characteristics of traitors and she wondered what caused these people to do what they did—for West, war fosters deception and betrayal. The final example of West’s interest in treason is her novel The Birds Fall Down (1966) which concludes with the deaths of both the traitor and the friend he betrayed and in The Return of the Soldier, a study of the sequels of war in human mind, the protagonist is betrayed by his family. In the aforementioned novel, West employs what at the time was an original device, amnesia from war trauma or ‘shell shock’ as well as an unusual perspective on war—that of those who waited at home. West tries to explore the reactions of three women to a returning soldier who, though married, remembers only an earlier love for another woman. In spite of its obvious literary quality, The Return of the Soldier proved to be a novel severely punished by critics.

A cup of tea please Essay -- Politics, Tea Party, Palin

During the last two years our society are being bombarded with something called Tea Party. According with CBS News/New York Times Poll, only 55% of American citizens have heard not much or none about Tea Party movement. The interpretation of this data says that â€Å"even among those Americans who say they have heard about the Tea Party, four in ten still admit they do not know about what it stands for† (1). Personally I include myself in that group. When I heard this term for the first time, my impression was not exactly a political movement. During the election of 2008, the term Tea Party were mentioned but not on a major scale like during the election of 2010. My curiosity about this movement grew as a result of an invitation my husband received to be a speaker in a Tea Party meeting in our town. Just weeks before the elections they invite him as Republican Chairman to speak about the election process, which were the best candidates and discussing some of our nation issues. Unfortunately, my impression was not the best, with their furrowed brow and seriousness they let me know I was not welcome there. Of course they use all the internal force to pretend, of course I was the wife of speaker. Between here and there of my husband explanations about politics as soon as he finished they start passing papers about immigration. They were discussing the controversial Arizona Law towards immigrants, a law that seems unmerciful, allows the police force to intervene with a person who is suspicious on the mind of the police officer to be illegal immigrant. So that allows to them to intervene with all the Mexicans and possibly or not at all wit h others ethnicities in Arizona State. I can remember how their faces change, happy fac... ... live. They hide their personal opinions and goals under the wing on the Republican Party. If the Tea Party is beneficial or not we will not know the answer for now, time will tell. It is important to be aware of what is going on around us. About the accusations of racism, true or not is something that the group itself will show soon or later with an uncover face. Right now they need a lot to prove concerning this issue. The Tea Party helps to change the history of the election of 2010, so it will be good to see what else this Movement can achieve. Our job as citizens is to look that any group that raise the voice, do it for the right reasons, make the approach without hiding schemes, not hurting others and showing nothing but the truth. In case any group attempt against the values of this country we can rise our voices and make them respect our voice.

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley Essay

The novel Frankenstein is about a man named Victor Frankenstein who wanted to tamper with life and death by â€Å"exploring unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation† (Shelley, pg.44). The novel Frankenstein has had continuing popularity ever since its publication in 1818 for many reasons. The main reason is that Frankenstein is a book that teaches lessons and morals that readers of all ages can appreciate and learn from for years to come. Frankenstein is a book that has been read and enjoyed by successive generations. In other words Frankenstein can be considered a classic novel. Frankenstein is a novel that shows the reader there is a way to achieve immortality, but also reveals many important things about human nature and emotions. Frankenstein is a novel about how to defy death. Ever since Egyptians and their beliefs of a life after death, people have found overcoming death to be fascinating. Death is something that is not understood completely by humans, it is frightening as well as scary. This is portrayed in Frankenstein when the creature is looked down upon by society because he looked different from them and they did not understand him. People are scared of what they do not understand, which is why they were frightened by Victor’s monster. The novel fascinates people because death has been overcome. Being able to create life from something that is non-living is just like cheating death. People like to have control over it, which is what people want in the first place. Frankenstein is a novel that shows the reader there is a way to defy death, which is why the novel has enjoyed continuing popularity ever since publication in 1818. Frankenstein reveals many things about humanity. The creature has the same feelings that all humans do including love, anger, sadness, happiness, confusion and so on. When talking of the family that the creature lived beside in the woods he says, â€Å"†¦when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys† (96). Just because the creature is able to distinguish between these emotions and have feelings for other forms of life is enough to say that he is human. The only thing that makes him different from human beings is the way he looks and the way he was brought into the world. Just because a baby is born with a deformity that  makes them look different from other people does not mean they are not human, they are just different. Since the creature is considered human, Frankenstein shows the reader what can happen to the human nature when it is abandoned of all forms of communication and love from others. The author is trying to show that the creature had the ability to be a kind and decent being, but because it is denied the basic human needs of communication and love from others, it resorts to an evil attitude. The unfortunate creature was abandoned and everything it knows about life and values was completely self-taught. The creature resorts to evil doings because no one has taught him right from wrong or how to deal with the emotions that he is feeling. Victor’s creature feels abandoned by his creator and does not know how to deal with these feelings. He does not even know why he was created in the first place after the cottagers that he has grown to love turned their backs on him. The creature curses his creator and questioned his existence by saying, â€Å"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live?†(98) These feelings towards abandonment are similar to the emotions that humans feel when people that are supposed to love them abandon them. The novel reveals many things about humanity that are not often discussed or thought about by humans. In conclusion, Frankenstein has experienced such continued success for several reasons. In one aspect it is a simple novel about defying death and achieving what many people have been fascinated with for centuries, which is immortality. On the other hand, it is an emotional story about a tragic creature that is forced to live in society that rejects him. It offers a close up into the creature’s emotions and shows a side of humanity that people do not normally have the chance to see. Because Frankenstein fascinated the simple concept of death as well as the idea of the power of humanity to affect human emotions and reactions, it has become a novel that has been and will continue to be read for ages. Frankenstein is clearly a classic novel.

AS Music: Baroque Ensemble Music

Music History Project 4: Baroque ensemble music: 1. What is meant by rounded form? Discuss its origins and main sections. Why was repetition so important for Baroque composers? Rounded form is where the opening passage in the tonic key keeps coming back around, the most common pattern generally being ABACA. The A section is called the refrain or rounded and the non-A passages are called episodes or couplets. The rounded form originated in France, and was first the name of a medieval song with a repeating pattern.Later composers n the Classical era preferred to use the Italian spelling of the word, rondo. Repetition in Baroque music was important for composers and audiences, because composers of the Baroque era often wrote vast amounts of music as part of their employment, so were almost forced to adopt such time saving methods. Audiences of the Baroque era also were not able to fast forward, rewind or replay parts of music like we can today, so repetition allowed the audience to stay on track, and not lose the plot of the piece. 2.The binary form in Baroque music: describe the structure and comment on analogy as would occur in the different sections: A vast amount of Baroque pieces, especially ones based on dances, are in binary form, which is music where there are two distinctly separate sections, each usually repeated. The letters ABA are often used to describe binary form in music. The two sections might be similar in length, or the second might be longer than the first. In binary form, section A usually begins in the tonic key, and then ends in another key, often the dominant, or if the starting key is minor, for instance, section A might end in its relative major.Section B, however, usually goes through keys not previously heard in the piece, and then ends in the tonic key. 3. Compare and contrast Baroque instrumental music with that of the Renaissance : Instrumental music was much more important and plentiful in the Baroque period than it had previously b een, when the majority of music was vocal. The improved instrument technology helped, and allowed and encouraged composers to develop genuinely instrumental ways of writing. Much of the Renaissance period music was written for voices only, and some Renaissance style music for instruments is very vocal in its character.The more vocal styles of Renaissance music, contrasting with the instrumental music of the Baroque period is the main difference between the two. 4. In paragraphs of approximately 75 words summaries information on the following Baroque instrumental families: Strings Woodwind Brass Keyboard Strings: The first Violins, Violas and Cellos were made in Italy in the late 16th century. For some time, these instruments, called the Violin family, were used alongside instruments from the Viol family, but gradually overtook them in popularity.The Baroque bow was straight or arch shaped rather than inward curving as today, the ridge was marginally lower, and its curve shallower, w hich in turn made multiple stopping easier. The neck bent back at a slightly larger angle, and with the lower bridge, therefore put the strings at a lower tension, making the sound less powerful. Woodwind: Recorders were heavily used throughout the Baroque period, the most commonly used type being f alto (treble). Recorders fell out of use after the Baroque period, coming back into use in the late 20th century.Baroque flutes were normally made out of wood, with finger holes and Just one key for a hard to reach bass note. The done flutes lacked some of the sound quality of modern metal ones; they could not reach such high notes, and were held sideways. Oboe players produced sound, the same as they still do to this day, by blowing between two reeds. The Baroque oboe developed from the Shawn, a more powerful, even harsh instrument, which was often played outdoors. In some Baroque pieces, oboes doubled (played the same parts as) violins, but they sometimes had solo roles.Brass: Trumpets in Baroque music were often connected with royal and military ceremonies, and were therefore regarded as a special instrument. They had no valves, so different notes were played by the musician using different lip pressures. Early brass instruments without valves are called ‘natural'. Trombones were largely favored in Venice in the early sass's, mainly in ceremonial music for performance in church. Baroque trombones were less powerful than modern ones, so could therefore be better combined with softer instruments. To distinguish modern from Baroque instruments, the latter are mainly known as ‘sackbuts', or ‘sackbuts'.Horns are found in some later Baroque pieces, including Bach's Brandenburg concerto No. , which includes a horn called corn dad acacia, (Italian for ‘hunting horn'). The corona dad acacia shared the rounded shape of the modern horn, but lacked valves and had a lighter, brighter sound, and was often used in high pitched sections of pieces. Keyboa rd: Harpsichords are keyboard instruments which have strings that are mechanically plucked when the keys are pressed. Harpsichords from the Baroque period vary in tone and construction from country to country.Clavichords are keyboard instruments that have strings which are hit by tangents' when the keys, which have a seesaw like action, are pressed. In the Baroque period, Clavichords were used mainly in Germany. They had a quiet sound, which therefore made them inappropriate for use at big public concerts, but ideal for making music at home. Unlike Harpsichords, Clavichords were touch sensitive, and in this way, along with the hammer sound production, they were like modern pianos. Organs varied vastly in their size, construction and tone. German organs commonly had two or more manuals and pedals.English organs, on the other hand, normally had no pedals and rarely more than one manual. 5. What is meant by ‘retooling? Retooling form is the form that many late Baroque pieces, esp ecially those from concertos, are in. The form is similar to Rounded, but more sophisticated. An opening passage is heard on two or more occasions throughout the piece, but not always necessarily in full, with other passages in between. These so called ‘in between' passages, sometimes a lot longer than the riotousness, are called ‘episodes' and are often for fewer instruments. A retooling can also be an instrumental passage within a vocal piece. . Describe briefly the structure off typical Baroque suite: There is no axed pattern of movement in Baroque suites, but later examples included the following dances, in this order: Allemande: usually moderate speed or fairly slow, in 4/4 time, with a short upbeat and plenty of gentle semiquaver movement. Current: quick or fairly quick, in 3/4 or 3/2 Serenade: slow triple time, usually 3/4, often with the second beat of the bar emphasizes. Segue; quick and lively, usually in a compound time such as 12/8 7. Explain how Baroque comp osers would expand on the dances that would appear in a suite.What changes would they bring into their music? Dances are generally in binary form, but composers sometimes extended their work in one of the following ways: Two dances of the same kind (both binary) appear in the order first dance, second dance, first dance repeated, producing a kind of ternary (ABA) structure. Two versions of a single dance are given, the first ‘plain', the second with much more ornamentation added. Some modern performers play the plain dance complete, with both sections repeated and then the double similarly. Baroque composers may have sometimes played either the plain dance or the double, not both.

Case Study for International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Study for International Finance - Essay Example Though it aims to promote fair trade in industries, it has remained controversial despite of its long existence in the field of business. The sustainability of an economic justice model is definitely hard. It requires the cooperation of all the people who are involved in its application. If those people will unite to follow all the requisites of that specific economic justice model it may lead to its long term efficacy and success. However, if an organization fails to fulfill its promise of prosperity, it will eventually lose its magnetism among the industry members who believe or are about to believe in it. Organizations tend to be too exaggerated when it comes to setting their rules and limitations to the extent that they no longer mind its effect on the workers and the product. They set their own standards not considering how it will impact those who are at the starting phase of business, most importantly the workers. The structure of modern economic justice at this point in time seems to be too unjust, most especially to the less privileged members of the society. Some critics blame the ineffectiveness of these models to globalization. In spite of the opportunities brought by globalization to the worldwide economy, it has caused income inequality in some nations (Kapstein, 2004).

Narrative Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Narrative Structure - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  the City of God film was produced by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund in 2002. Its storyline was adopted from the 1997 novel City of God by Braulio Mantovani. The storyline is based in Rio de Janeiro’s Cidade de Deus suburb in which organized crime in the 1960’s is on the rise. The crimes involve drug dealing cartels and a small boy (Rocket) who dreams of being a photographer as he strives to keep the city’s rot away. Rocket narrates the unfolding events in Cidade de Deus from his point of view which is that of a poor black youth. He is seeking for means of surviving in the harsh and violent life of Cidade de Deus. Although rocket seeks to be on the right side if the law, he does not agree to live a low, sulky and insatiable life.As the study highlights the setting of Rio de Janeiro is typical of the settings applied in most crime films in which the atmosphere is usually dark, clustered, and shows signs of madness associated w ith crime. Gangs run the city at night while gun fights and murder are nothing new in the Brazilian city. The causes of crime are usually economic inability, and that too is shown in Cidade de Deus; the typical houses are set in an urban setting in long rows. The houses are poorly constructed and the streets are dotted with youth who look desperate and idle. Generally, the introduction of the film hints poverty and crime, and these two elements work perfectly in creating a setting for thriving crime and violence.

Assignment 5 Practice Problems Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 Practice Problems - Assignment Example Depending on the government it can be adverse or favourable. If the US dollar is strong against another currency, it leads to increased demand of imports as prices go down. This inturn weakens export as foreign goods appear to be expensive outside the country. Importers prefer strong local currency while exporters prefer weak local currency (Econedlink par 11) For an export business based in the US the ideal situation would be if the dollar weakens, this makes it attractive for foreigners to buy goods from US, but if it appreciates it, makes foreign goods seem expensive. To balance this fluctuation the company needs to cut the dollar price to match the prices in pounds (Econedlink par 11). 4. Suppose that you are a U.S. producer of a commodity good competing with foreign producers. Your inputs of production are priced in dollars and you sell your output in dollars. If the U.S. currency depreciates against the currencies of our trading partners, b. your competitive position is likely worsened. When the dollar appreciates, this makes foreign goods seem cheaper and this improves their position in the market, but when the dollar depreciates the price of foreign goods seem expensive and this may probably worsen the position of foreign business (Econedlink par 11). 5. Suppose your firm invests $100,000 in a project in Italy. At the time the exchange rate is $1.25 = â‚ ¬1.00. One year later the exchange rate is the same, but the Italian government has expropriated your firms assets paying only â‚ ¬80,000 in compensation. This is an example of It does not matter the exchange rate, what counts is the fact that the government has taken over a private own business. The government does this without the owner’s consent but there must be compensation (Meridian Finance par 1). Upenn.edu Chapter 1 Globalization And The Multinational Firm Suggested Answers To End- Of-Chapter Questions. 2014,