The impossibility of war Essay Example for Free

The impossibility of war Essay Mr Birling uses the word duty frequently. A duty is normally something people do for legal or moral reasons, something which bind them to their obligation. Birling has no legal obligation to keep labour costs down; presumably then he sees it as a moral obligation.  Mr Birling has little or no imagination and seems blind both to consequences of his actions, and to the events in the larger world. He makes predictions about the future the unsinkability of the Titanic; the impossibility of war; and the promise of technology which would have been believed by many in 1912, but which would have seemed laughably optimistic to the audience in 1945. At no point in the play does Mr Birling take any blame for his actions, I cant accept responsibility. And I am nothing whatever to do with that wretched girl suicide. He shows no remorse.  Birling is proud of his status; he and his wife set great store by his public offices and privileges. So sensitive is Birling about such matters that he feels a little uneasy about Gerald Croft marrying his daughter, sensing that Geralds parents may feel that their son is marrying beneath himself. At the end of the play the possibility that he may be deprived of his knighthood upsets him far more than anything else does. Mr and Mrs Birling see themselves as upholders of all the right values and of the guardians of proper conduct. But both are exposed as self-centred and essentially heartless. They begin to try and put the Inspector in his place, through emphasising their own position in society. Both try to hide, or hide from the uncomfortable truths. As Eric points out his father is useless in a real crisis.  It is plain that Birlings motives are not to save Eric from being found out, but to protect himself from social scandal. To do this, he is prepared to he is prepared to distort or ignore the truth. He is blind to thus hypocrisy, and indifferent when it is pointed out. Just before the end of the play he argues that the whole thing is different now, and congratulates himself on having avoided a scandal. Provided their public reputation is safe, people like Mr and Mrs Birling will never change. Mrs Birling is even more hard-faced and arrogant than her husband. She is introduced as his social superior and her manner indicates that she is very conscious of social position, especially her own. Mrs Birling also exploits her position in society to feel in control. Eva went for assistance when she knew she was to have a child. Eva went to the Brumley Womans Charity Organisation for help. The chair of the organisation was Mrs Birling, who slammed the door in her face. Mrs Birling takes no blame at all for this cruel and vile behaviour. She in response says, I was justified. In act one, Sheila accuses her brother Eric of being somewhat drunk, Youre squiffy. Mrs Birlings reaction shows her sense of propriety, she feels that it was very inappropriate of Sheila to say that. Mrs Birling will not believe Eric drinks, you dont get drunk. She chooses not to accept that her son might have a drinking problem. Mrs Birling will not hear anything which could tarnish the Birlings image. She deliberately blind to anything she does not wish to see. She is in complete denial about Erics problem. Mrs Birling takes no responsibility for her childrens actions and therefore would not accept blame for somebody she does not know like Eva Smith. Her concern shared by her husband that Sheila should not be exposed to unpleasant things that suggests that she regards her daughter as a child. Mrs Birling does not want Sheila to hear the truth and tries to get her to leave the room.  Youre looking tired, dear. I think you ought to go to bed.  It could be argued that Mrs Birling has good intentions and is protecting Sheila from the truth, however I do not believe this is the case. Mrs Birling has little respect for Sheila and thinks nothing more of her than a hysterical child. Mrs Birling is a very controlling woman, who does not like the fact that Sheila is developing her own opinions. Sheila sometimes behaves immaturely because she has been brought up without being allowed to develop her own opinions and personality. Only after the Inspector calls does Sheila realise that her mother is wrong. Mrs Birling is to blame for Evas death, as she is a controlling person who abused her power to deny Eva the help she needed. Perhaps only did why she did this, was because she could. In the play each character uses language and speaks in a manner that helps to reveal his or her personality. In Mrs Birlings case, her choice of words reflects her superior and snobbish attitude. Mrs Birling expects others to show her respect and to defer to her opinions. She resents being contradicted, even when caught telling outright lies by the Inspector. When exposed to criticism, Mrs Birling retreats behind words like respectable, duty, and deserving. She seems to feel that she is qualified to judge what such words mean. Mrs Birling describes the inspector as, a trifle impertinent. The Inspector is of a lower class to the Birling family and Mrs Birling is obviously prejudiced against him. Mrs Birling uses complicated words to belittle the Inspector, she feels he should know his place. Mrs Birling treated the Inspector in a similar manner as she treated Eva. She could not see how the death of a lower-class person could be of any interest to the Birlings. Therefore, Mrs Birling is partly to blame, as she did no give Eva any help or show any compassion because she was judgmental and prejudiced against her. Mrs Birling accepts no blame for the death of Eva Smith at any point in the play. She is however willing to blame others. Mrs Birling firstly blames, the girl herself and secondly the young man who was the father of the child. Mrs Birling is blind to the dramatic irony of what she is saying; she is condemning her so without even realising it. The Inspector calling had no positive affect on her at all. I think the Inspectors call only served to harden her attitude.  In the play the inspector is portrayed as the voice for all Eva and John Smiths of the time. Society at the time of 1912 exhibited huge social divisions and for people like Eva Smith life was very hard. The Inspector is an enigment figure. He neither changes nor develops but frequently repeats: I havent much time. Inspector Gooles name is obviously a pun on ghoul, a spirit or ghost. The stage directions talk of an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. There is an air of menace about him and, unlike all the other characters; he does not deviate from his moral position.  Sometimes the Inspector behaves as the voice of social conscience: You see, if theres nothing else, well have to share our guilt. He points out that social responsibilities have become greater as privileges increase. Significantly, the Inspector himself neither forgives nor punishes. Each character is made to face up to the fact that they must find the courage to judge themselves: only then will they have learnt enough to be able to change. The play points out the need for a sense of personal responsibility in every member of society. Responsibility not only for individual actions, but also for the way actions affect others. Different characters react to their guilt in different ways, when it is revealed to them. Not all show remorse or shame, and some are so hardened that they refuse to accept that remorse is appropriate. I can therefore conclude that society is to blame. In 1912 people did not care enough about one another.

Why I Like Football Essay -- essays research papers

Why I like Football Many people love watching and participating in sporting events. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. president once said, "Sports is the very fiber for what we all stand for. It keeps our spirit alive." No matter if watching or playing, football is one of America's most popular sports. Many people attend high school, college, and professional football every year. You can relate many aspects of football and sports to life. . I think football is the best sport I have ever played or watched. Football requires tremendous amounts of teamwork and sportsmanship to be successful. No one man can win a football game. He may make a big tackle or a diving catch, but without him and the other 10 players on the field he can not win a game. A football player can not be selfish and put himself before his team. "One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it" said legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne. Teamwork is vital in the game of football. If you have 9 players doing their job and 2 not doing it then you are not going to be a very successful team. It takes 11 players working and communicating together to be successful. Football is a very exciting game. Millions of people attend games in person and watch them on television. Football is a very unpredictable game, because there is many factors affecting the outcome of the ...

Proud to Be a Woman Essay

â€Å"First Bone of a Woman† by Patricia Wellingham-Jones and â€Å"Afternoon in the Garden† are two poems that present the creation of the first woman and explore the nature of womanhood through the behavior, speech and descriptions of her. The authors addressed the story of creation differently through the use of alliteration, figurative language and symbol. â€Å"First Bone of a Woman,† describes in full detail the configuration of the female body as it is being constructed and focuses on the beauty and strength of her figure while â€Å"Afternoon in the Garden,† involves a complete and detailed version of the first woman’s day in the Garden of Eden and the meaningful discoveries she encounters that are not explored in other versions: â€Å"Then God created the woman: But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the lord  God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: â€Å"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh† (NIV Gen 2:18-24). We begin reading â€Å"First Bone of a Woman† with a specific understanding that Wellingham-Jones is referring to the extraction of Adams rib to create his counterpart, Eve. â€Å"Flesh pads the jointed structure, soft skin covers the curves† is a specific example of Walders’ use of alliteration and figurative language to describe the smooth contour of a woman’s body as she is coming together piece by piece (Patricia Wellingham-Jones 6). The author’s repetition of sounds points the reader to importance of the actual physical structure that may otherwise be overlooked without the employment of such poetic device. In many ways this is reminiscent of Davi Walders’ poem when she is referring to the apricot and describes the â€Å"sun on its flesh† (Walders 44-45). The repeated â€Å"s† and â€Å"c† sounds helps to communicate that  the female body is feminine and light and should be thought of in a beautiful and fruitful fashion. As the sounds roll off of your tongue and as you read the works aloud you will find that they flow softly as the authors intend to describe the female figure. In some ways the author’s use of figurative language and symbol seem to be the strongest literary devices used in their poems to create unique portrayals of the early creation of woman and their role in womanhood. â€Å"Afternoon in the Garden† Walders describes the moment that the first woman shows her independence and uniqueness. Rather than seeing her choice to taste the fruit as a naà ¯ve and irresponsible choice that could lead to trouble, Walders presents the firs t woman’s decisions as thoughtful and experimental. Walders describes the first woman as she wonders through the garden on her exploration: There’s that other fruit. He calls it â€Å"apple†. I think It’s not. It needs another name. (Davi Walders 41-43). Walders begins to present the first woman as an individual capable of thought and decision and not merely made to be Adam’s entertainment. Although she is merely describing the picking and naming of fruit, this alludes to the idea that the first woman has a mind and ability to make judgments of her own to help satisfy her man. The fruits in this poem, apple and apricot symbolize a woman’s independence and her need for variation and excitement. This helps to support Walders’ exploration of womanhood as good and essential. The main character goes on to say: I’ll pluck one with the sun On its flesh. It will not squash Or stain, has no thorns. I’ll call It â€Å"apricot†, bring an apple as well. Then he will tell the difference. A treat to share when he awakes. Then I shall sing of the joy†¦ Of learning to be a good wife. (Walders 44-54) Not only is Walders using this type of language of describing the fruits to show that she has conscious thoughts, but she also has the ability to use them to entice and pleasure her husband. The words, â€Å"I think: and â€Å"I’ll  pluck one with the sun†¦ on its flesh† clearly emphasizes the connection between the woman’s smooth body and alluring features as she explains she will bring the fruit to her husband to share as a treat together (Walders43-45). Walders is making a clear statement that a woman has the ability to make decisions, choose to go where she wants, when she wants and return in time to still make her husband happy after he has had his time to nap for the afternoon. They both work together in the garden but they each have their own roles. She is not there to serve Adam as we have read in the Bible but more as her own person able to express independent thought and virtue. While he does the majority of the physical labor, she will go out and fill her need for change and difference and excitement while she explores her own identity and goes off to define their world as they are learning and growing each day both together and separately. If Walders did not state these words, â€Å"I think† and â€Å"on its flesh† we may not be able to conclude that she is so adamantly stating a woman has independent thoughts and deserves to be viewed as an asset to the future of our lives as we know them. In contrast to â€Å"Afternoon in the Garden† the poem â€Å"First Bone of a Woman† in its literal description of the creation of the body, â€Å"The first bone of a woman shines with a spectral glow, knits itself to another until the framework brackets its form† (Wellingham-Jones 2-3). Wellingham-Jones is describing the formation of the body and the ability for each piece to easily connect from one to the next. This poems comes across as the strong, foundation of a female structure that not only has shape, but attractiveness necessary for a woman, while â€Å"Afternoon in the Garden† concentrates primarily on the discoveries that the first woman has during her explorations in the garden. â€Å"Soft skin covers the curves† is most certainly the author’s way of reminding the reader of a woman’s beauty and sexual attractiveness (Wellingham-Jones 6). Without these lines the poem would read more like a blueprint to build a stick figure while the addition of these lines guides the audience to the sensual curves of a woman’s body. In many ways we forget that women are not only physical beings, both hard working and nurturing, but we are also loving and sensual being capable and requiring attention and affection. Patricia Wellington-Jones and Davi Walders approach their stories with unique and distinct voices. While Wellington Jones’ poem, â€Å"First Bone of a Woman† explores the creation of the  female body as first understood by the biblical story presented to us in the story of Adam and Eve, she adds her own exciting idea that once the female body begun to take on its own shape it became an individual with a womanly nature and no longer would be reliant upon a man for her definition. The man and the woman would complement each other. Davi Walders poem, â€Å"Afternoon in the Garden† explores the diversity of a woman and her abilities to make decisions and entertain herself as well as contribute to the growth and prosperity of the world. Walders depicts womanhood being expressed through exploration and contribution. Both poems present the creation of the first woman in a manner that the topic of womanhood can be viewed in a more substantial and important role than in other works available.

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