Sunday, January 26, 2020

Political Comedy In The Government Inspector

Political Comedy In The Government Inspector The Government Inspector was written by Gogol in 1835 during a time when government surveillance and censorship was at its height. Tsar Nicholas was in power and his fear of revolution forced a lot of writers at the time to limit what they intended to show and in some cases stop altogether in works they were producing. The play has since been interpreted in many different ways but Gogol tells us he simply hoped to collect into one heap everything à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that was bad in Russia à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and laugh at the whole lot in one go  [1]  . The outcome of the play is no doubt comical, but Gogol himself was very interested in politics and I do not think he set out to denounce the system completely but to pick fun at it, among other things in Russia. There are a lot of characters and events in the play which could be interpreted as having underlying meaning to them. It does appear therefore that Gogol was satirising the imperial bureaucracy of Russia by highlighting the corruption and deception that are so apparent in the story. Gogol employed the use of humour in the story for many possible reasons. One reason was to cloud the real message that he was trying to send out, so that he could get The Government Inspector past the censorship regulation that were put in place by tsar Nicholas and enforced by the third section. The fact that The Government Inspector was allowed to be preformed at the time, despite its apparent mockery of the political system and the hidden messages was surprising. It becomes clear throughout the play that Gogol is criticising more how people treated one another. The final tableau at the end is used to show the audience that the characters in the play resemble them, and that people needed to rethink thei r moral values. It seems that Gogol thinks that the corruption and deceit which occurs in the play is happening all around him in real life, as he tells us through the governor theres nobody who hasnt got some sin on his conscience.  [2]  I believe that Gogol chose to write a comedy but on serious issues, in order to shed some light on the wrongdoings, but also to entertain his audience. The protest that arose after its first night at the Alexandra Theatre in St Petersburg in 1835 was not welcomed by Gogol, who fled from the clamour and went to Rome  [3]  . There remains much debate on Gogols intentions in creating The Government Inspector, but nevertheless by making these serious issues and denunciations of the government comical it helped him get his play past the censors and onto the stage. The political humour is presented in many forms in The Government Inspector. Many of the characters in the play provide the audience with much comedy and not one is depicted as being without fault; indeed there does not seem to be a hero. Instead Gogol presents to us very corrupted town officials, vain, naÃÆ' ¯ve women and the deceitful Khlestakov who is mistaken as the government inspector sent to the country from St. Petersburg. This mistaken identity is particularly humorous, especially when the governor greets Khlestakov in the inn where he is staying following his bankruptcy as a result of gambling. We quickly gather that the governor has the most to fear from an inspector, for his corruption is deep and his neglect of the townspeople is often highlighted. Despite this Gogol tells us in his notes that he has come up on hard work from the lowers rank of the service,  [4]  and we can infer that he is not especially a bad man. In acquiring position and status, and perhaps se eing how other men have benefited from it before him, he has been spoiled by greed and luxury. Gogol, renowned for his realism, would have been speaking directly to his audience, criticising their behaviour and their apparent readiness to give into temptation. The governors sycophantic behaviour towards Khlestakov at their first meeting in the inn is comical, and made more so by Khlestakovs belief that he has come to arrest him for not paying his bills. The use of dramatic irony throughout the play is key to the effectiveness of the humour, but also the ridiculing of the audience, who are essentially laughing at their own ignorance and folly. The town officials are portrayed by Gogol as fraudulent simpletons, and the effortlessness in which Khlestakov is able to deceive them only highlights this. It can be inferred from this therefore that Gogol is suggesting that perhaps many officials were incompetent and interested only in bettering themselves like the governor. The character of the postmaster is one who is very obviously depicted as abusing his station, as it is revealed that he often opens and reads the mail as a form of entertainment. Like many of the others he accepts bribes but is characterised as being ingenuous to the point of naivetà ©.  [5]  This character may also be representing the current state of government censorship, as he is disregarding peoples privacy and human rights by reading their private correspondence. Interestingly, it is the postmaster who uncovers Khlestakovs real identity later in the play, as he reads a letter that Khlestakov has composed to a friend revealing the whole charade in mos t mocking and humiliating language. Khlestakov, although deceiving the townsfolk, is portrayed by Gogol in a much better light than the governor and his and web of associates, including his narcissistic wife and immature daughter. The governor, it is revealed, has ignored his responsibilities in the town, taking bribes from various people and therefore allowing all the wrongdoing to continue. It would seem that this disregard of equality and justice is more offensive to Gogol than Khlestakovs taking advantage of their foolishness. Indeed Khlestakov is presented more as an opportunist than a malevolent deceiver. This criticism directed at the failure of the people in higher ranks to look after those below them is initially hidden from the audiences immediate understanding by the use of comedy. In this way the comedy utilised in the play could be seen as serving as a smoke-screen, making it more light-hearted by protecting the real messages of corruption and inequality. It became apparent to me in my study of the play that Gogol was asking his audience to examine their own moral code by presenting them with such dishonest and shady people and events and mocking the intense bureaucracy of the Russian Government at the time of writing. I found the main message was to be introspective of yourself and re-evaluate your moral code, for the characters represent the people who hold the power to protect those below them in rank, but in their greed have become the ones who others need real protection from. Gogols derision of the Russian bureaucracy is made most obvious in Act five when the governor, upon realising that he has been duped by Khlestakov, asks the audience directly What are you laughing at? Youre laughing at yourselves!  [6]  Essentially The Government Inspector serves the audience as a warning about the future of humanity if the government and its officials continue to treat the people they are supposed to be helping with disregard and unfai rness. In addition, the epigraph of the play sums up Gogols ridiculing of the political structure in nineteenth-century Russia; If your face is crooked, dont blame the mirror.  [7]  He is saying to his audience that it is your responsibility to be a good person and to uphold your morals, and you can not blame anyone else when you are also taken advantage of and humiliated, like the governor and his other roguish associates are in the play. There are many examples in the play of Gogol using humour to criticise the contemporary political system. The title itself does not suggest a comedy because Gogol chiefly has a serious point to make, but he achieves the humour by creating ridiculous characters and placing them in laughable situations. It is made even more comical because the themes which are being displayed are so normal in human existence that many can relate it to their own experience. A good example of this is shown by the character of Anna, the governors wife. Gogol describes her in his notes as a provincial coquette and the audience sees her flirt outrageously with Khlestakov throughout the play, believing him to be a man of power and money. She is vain and uppity and these features provide the audience with much humour. For example in Act Four, after she allows Khlestakov to surround her with false flattery despite her being married, she declares to her daughter that she stands as the kind of example she ought to be following.  [8]  Her vanity and foolishness is also demonstrated in a humorous way when she believes her daughter is to be married to a high ranking government official; she tells her overwhelmed husband that she always knew she would be related to someone as great but he would not because he has have never seen decent people.  [9]  Clearly this statement holds a double-entendre, as Annas own statement encompasses herself, pointing out that neither her, nor any of the people in the governors company are decent people. The fierce satire of the Russian bureaucracy in the nineteenth century was a common theme for Gogol in his works, and The Government Inspector, interpreted by many in this genre, was only permitted to be staged thanks to the interference of Tsar Nicholas. Although realising that everybody caught it, most of all me,  [10]  he managed to observe the light-hearted nature of the play, supposing it to be harmless. It was original in its time of publication as there was no sole character who would wholly entice the sympathy of the audience, as they were all presented as individuals who were flawed by their own making. As a result of Gogols explicit criticism, the reactions following its performance were explosive despite the tsars approval. Many members of the audience, the majority of whom would themselves have been civil servants, were personally offended by the overt similarities between themselves and the visibly corrupt characters on stage. Gogol imposed upon himself a state of ex ile and fled to Rome in the late 1930s following the uproar caused by his play and the themes he chose to incorporate in it. In addition to the play being interpreted as a political comedy, The Government Inspector was seen as a piece of didactic literature, to ask the people to put an end to their own venality. This satirical approach towards the imperial bureaucracy can also be seen in many of Gogols other works, particularly in The Nose. In this story the protagonist Kovalyov wakes to find his Nose has assumed a life of its own; it refuses to be re-attached to Kovalyovs face because it now holds a higher rank than him. His vanity is highlighted throughout the play, and his greatest fear in losing his nice is that he might not be able to advance up the social spectrum. Indeed, In the outwardly crazy story lurks a serious idea: what matters is not the person but ones rank.  [11]  Again we can see evidence of an official most concerned in bettering his own position. The only character who Gogol describes without criticism is Ossip, Khlestakov servant, who we are told is cleverer than his him and therefore quicker on the uptake  [12]  than any of the other characters. He is the only serf in the play, yet he shows much more intellect than any of his superiors, and is the one who warns Khlestakov to leave before he is foiled. In his private life Gogol was similar to Dostoevsky in his beliefs in politics and religion and I do not think that he set out with the intention of denouncing the role of government. Clearly however the provincial town that is depicted in the play has been neglected by the powers from the city, and the corrupt officials have been allowed to take advantage of the people under their authority. This thought in particular peaks in scene Four, when the townspeople come to appeal to Khlestakov and tell him of the many offences the governor has committed, believing that he will be able to help them receive justice. Gogol was more concerned about the role of the individual, and the dumb tableau which appears at the end of the play, capturing the fear and surprise of the characters, helps to convey this message. Gogols instructions to hold the tableau for almost a minute and a half  [13]  would have forced the audience to really examine what was been shown to them, and then perhaps exami ne themselves in relation to it. The play therefore was intended more as a teaching tool, revealing the lack of spiritual guidance and morals in his characters than a complete mocking of politics. The use of comedy in the play was to make the performance more enjoyable for an audience and to avoid it seeming like a lecture or a sermon. In addition to this, the comedy allowed the play to advance past the censors in Tsar Nicholas reign. Gogol produced an exposer of grotesque in human nature  [14]  in The Government Inspector, and it was met by enthusiastic praise and virulent obloquy confirming his own literary vocation.  [15]   Word Count: 2, 231

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Critical Analysis of Convergence of the Twain Thomas Hardy Essay

â€Å" Not even God can sink this ship† –is the infamous line that refers to the Titanic, one of the largest most immaculate man made inventions of its time, and the catastrophic accident that led to its sinking has been a historical bookmark, noted for decades. Thomas Hardy’s perception to this disaster is rather pessimistic; creating a sense that fate was destined to cause the failure of Titanic. Hardy presents a philosophical poem about fate’s inevitability and indifference through the eyes of nature, portraying the disaster by presenting the accident as a sinister sexual meeting between these two lovers—the Titanic and ‘a Shape of Ice’. The title of the poem alone demonstrates that this catastrophe was planned in advance, a dramatic sensual meeting. The use of such a title lends itself to the interpretation that this disaster was meant to happen, and was something that destiny, ‘the Spinner of the Years’ had planned. This is further developed in the diction that hardy uses in this poem. The two were ‘intimate’, their history had already been developed and determined; they were to be ‘weld[ed]’ together, to be one another’s ‘sinister mate’. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline This sexual, ominous meeting of ship and ice creates a very pessimistic and portentous understanding of what happened. Furthermore, through the use of depicting the iceberg and Titanic as lovers, it leads to the reader understanding the iceberg as the dominant, powerful male lover. This presents another theme of nature being able to overpower man’s ‘vaingloriousness’. At the ‘consummation’ of the two, the iceberg is left unharmed, where as the ship is sunk under the ‘solitude of the sea’. Hardy’s poetry has always had nature’s beauty and power as a theme, therefore it is no surprise that he believes that nature is superior and timeless as compared to the Titanic, that had been so immaculately described and honored just to have sunk under the natural beautiful sea. In this poem, nature seems to witness the events of this meeting, however the images of nature are eerie and representative of death. The ‘dim-mooned eye fishes’ question the presence of the Titanic in the sea’s depths, recognizing it as a vain intruder into their world. Also the ‘sea worm crawls’ over this foreign invader, ‘indifferent’ to the fact that this vessel was a monumental figure of human development and innovation in 1912. Hardy uses nature witnessing this romantic convergence as a tool to mock the things that humans are proud of and the vanity that is the Titanic, as well as disassociate itself from it. In the poem, Hardy does not undermine the Titanic’s sheer beauty, but it is linked with images of death and destruction. It is first connected to the ‘Pride of Life’, which is human innovation and vanity, and it is a remarkable creation that was ‘planned’. However, her ‘steel chambers, late the pyres/Of her salamandrine fires’ is the next description that we are given. ‘Pyre’ is a word definitely associated with death and funeral rites, where as ‘salamandrine’ and ‘fires’ both have connotations to death as well, and the end of matter. These descriptions create an ominous mood to the ship and of its imminent meeting with the iceberg. Hardy’s disapproval to technology, development and modernization is evident not only in other poems such as Where the Picnic Was and The Darkling Thrush but is also evident in this one, and he uses the catastrophe to mock the vanity of man, the things they find superficially attractive, their ‘jewels in joy designed†¦ lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind, and the ‘mirrors meant’ to have been used to perceive all this human vanity is crawled over by ‘grotesque’ creatures who are the are the ones that are using these ‘opulent’ items. Fate, however, is the most blatant theme in the poem; Hardy recognizes fate and the will of God as the reasons why this ship had to have sunk. It is illustrated in the personification of ‘Immanent Will’ and the ‘Spinner of the Years’; this personification is a vague reference to God as well as showing their power and command over human life. These presences ‘urge everything’ to happen, and give imperative commands that must be followed. The poem seems to be representative of Hardy’s feeling that fate’s plans are inevitable and are unstoppable despite whatever has been put in place to prevent what is happening. Hardy’s theme of the vulnerability of human destiny is present in many poems and is connected to his loss of faith, the poems Intenebris, and the Darkling Thrush evidently presents Hardy’s reluctance to see the beauty in fate, or God’s will, he doesn’t reconcile with this, and therefore there is a pessimistic and gloomy take on the unavoidability of it all. Fate bring these ‘two hemispheres’ together to witness the result of their vanity and recognize that there is a higher power that is ‘fashioning’ the world’s events, and because of all of he things that have occurred in his life—such as Emma’s death—it has led to this pervading theme of negativity towards fate, God, as well as the passage of time—which is briefly hinted at concerning how the Titanic lost its beauty during its sinking. The construction of this poem is complex and intricate, the numbering of the stanzas makes the reader understand each stanza individually, and consider it a unique unit. This emphasizes the message in the stanzas and makes it all the more powerful. However, there is enjambment in the sixth and seventh stanza, making it as though they were meant to be one stanza. These stanzas also happen to concern the creation of the ship, and the creation of the iceberg, which are meant to become one in the end—in their sexual meeting. Furthermore, the poem is written in rhyming triplets, along with a tidal rhythm, which manages to capture the feel and movement of the sea in the rhythm of the poem. It can also be noted that the poem is somewhat split into two, the first five stanzas focus on the sunken Titanic, the waste of all the vanity that was put into it, where as the last six stanzas focus on the inevitable fate of the two having met. It is interesting that Hardy possible constructs the poem this way because the tragedy was so well-known and famous that he is able to begin with the focus on the ships already sunken state before delving into the issue of fate and God’s will. One very intriguing element to Hardy’s construction of The Convergence of the Twain is that the stanzas look as if they are tiny ships. This creative device adds more artistic flair to the poem and adds motion to the poem, as well as being a visual aid. The Convergence of the Twain is a philosophical dirge by Hardy that also happens to illustrate most of his quandaries of life, fate and human vanity. As Hardy using an atypical presentation of the tragedy also manages to make the reader recognize his cynicism and negativity towards human technologies and the Titanic. His poem shows the tragedy of mans overconfidence, and illustrates the importance of recognizing the power of nature as well as fate on our lives.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Psychological Impact Paper Essay

Cultural diversity is a bonus in the society today. The ability to interact or network with other cultures gives you an opportunity to understand different cultures and how they live their life on a daily basis. Although being culturally diverse may be a positive aspect. It may have complications depending on your race. For example, Racism, Discrimination, and Civil rights are factors that may cause a psychological development, distress, or behavior problem. In my paper I will discuss the potential impact of racism, discrimination, and civil rights on the psychological development, distress and behavior on a cultural diverse African American. Racism â€Å"Racism consists of beliefs, attitudes, institutional arrangements, and acts that tend to denigrate individuals or groups because of phenotype characteristics or ethnic group affiliation,† (Hall, 2010. Pg 88). African Americans faced racism on a daily basis in the 1900s. Lynch mobs and burnings terrorized African Americans, causing them to be skeptical or in fear of leaving their own home. They were denied industry jobs and were forced to work low end jobs. This resulted in to poor living conditions which affected their mental health. Picking cotton was their main source of income. African Americans began to question their self worth because as of minorities they were not able to express their intelligence or communication skills they used to be culturally diverse. African Americans began to think they were useless only because they could not provide more for their families. â€Å"Categorical beliefs about the biological and/or cultural inferiority of some racial groups can attack the self-worth of at least some members of stigmatized racial groups and undermine the importance of their very existence† (Williams and Morris, 2000. Pg 255). African Americans self esteem became to drop, causing them not to be able to function mentally. Racism may have decreased compared to the 1900s but it still exists in present day. Discrimination Discrimination has been known to have an impact on the  psychological development, distress and behavior on African Americans. Discrimination is (Define). â€Å"Recent qualitive studies and journalistic accounts reveal that black experience discrimination in a broad range of contexts in society and that these incidents can induce considerable distress† (Williams and Morris, 2000. Pg 251). Treated unfairly impacted the health of African Americans, causing anxiety or anger. African Americans thought that they were overly qualified for jobs that they were denied. After being denied African Americans would become angry or frustrated because of not being treated equally. African Americans were prideful of their culture and the only way to show people of other cultures is by showing they were inferior. African Americans were inferior but still suffered from mental health problems. â€Å"Racist discrimination is associated with anxiety, anger frustration, resentment, somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal hypersentivity, fear, paranoia, helplessness-hopelessness, and depression among African Americans† (Hall, 2010. Pg 91). Discrimination caused African Americans to lack interactions amongst other races in schools. â€Å"Afrocentrism espouses African ideals at the center of ones approach to problem solving† (Hall, 2010. Pg 92). This was an important factor in the multicultural research. Civil Rights African Americans struggled for years for freedom form slavery. After being free fought for equality and a voice. Movements began to form on behalf of African Americans continued to struggle mentally, only because they felt their voice was not heard. In 1875 the Civil Rights Act was passed giving them the right to equal treatment in public settings. Followed by the 1896 decision to legalize racial segregation of schools. Although the schools were segregated African Americans parents and children feared for their lives. They were afraid that European Americans would hurt their children all because they were attending schools that where made for whites. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 created the opportunity for African Americans to have constitutionals rights without discrimination or segregation. The Civil Rights Act was passed but Racism still exist, causing African Americans to feel hopeless. African Americans then began to search  for another outcome which lead to Affirmative Action. The Black Muslims created opportunities and had a goal of diversity. Goals of Black Muslims were to replace the negative effects of slavery with positive values and behavior and to develop independence from the dominant culture,†(Hall, 2010. Pg90). Hope for understanding African American identity and multicultural relation was offered by psychological theory and research despite political and legal setbacks. Although African Americans were faced with adversities, they managed to overcome them. Africans struggled mentally as well as facing distress and behavior problems all because the way they were treated. African Americans tried to form bonds amongst other cultures, giving them the opportunity to become diverse individuals. Learning other cultures was common for African Americans, like for instance adapting to the American culture after being slaved. African Americans have put the past behind them and continue to become more diverse as well teaching other cultures there values and traditions. Barnes, J. (2004). Unequal Education. U.S. News & World Report, 136(10), 66. Hall, G. C. N. (2010). Multicultural Psychology (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Letter Of Apology And Apology Essay - 2233 Words

Picture it: June 6, 2011 a warm Texas summer evening and I, a uniformed patrolled officer, have arrived to work to start a twelve-hour shift when I find a sealed letter by the County Prosecutor in my mail box. I am certain that it is not a subpoena as those are never sealed and always hand delivered but imagine my surprise when I read what the County Attorney has sent. I find a letter of explanation from him and an apology from a juvenile that I had pursued in a foot chase earlier that year. The County Attorney explains that he cannot discuss the prosecution of a juvenile but that the juvenile in question has taken responsibility for his actions and as such has included a letter of apology composed by the juvenile. The following page dated April 15, 2011 reveals that this juvenile, Efrain, has indeed enclosed a letter of apology for running from the police and states his actions were wrong and that he wanted to apologize for those actions and furthermore, he expressed his desire to c omplete high school and stay out of trouble. When this paper was first assigned, I thought about Efrain and how he was not that remarkable nor was his crime. However, Efrain’s letter of apology, whether required by the terms of his probation or the result of his own sheer desire, was the only one I have ever received from a juvenile offender and as such, it stayed with me. I have the honor and privilege of serving a good community but I have now been employed long enough that the adults that IShow MoreRelatedLetter Apology Letter Of Apology1504 Words   |  7 PagesDear: Dr. Patterson, I hope this letter finds you well and that you are prospering and in good health. 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