Marketing Paper

Marketing Paper Marketing Paper LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton SA is an empire of over sixty upscale refined brands. This luxury focused company sold over twenty-four billion in 2008. Trying to sell you a dream, the status quo, or just a quality product this company can attend to your finer needs. Comprised of a vast selection of high-end goods such as: Fashion and Leather, Perfume and Cosmetics, Wine and Spirits, Selective Retailing, and Watches and Jewelry. This company and all of subsidiaries are not concerned with average America. The 47% are not even thought of or brought up in meetings except how to keep their products out of their hands. Meaning these products are meant to make you feel elite, superior, and of worth. These products are highly counterfeited around the world and sold at average prices for average people not what Bernard Arnault wants. Spending over ten million annually just to keep them out of their hands. If you want it, buy it but buy the real thing it will make you feel much better than trying to be fashionable and fake. It also destroys the brands reputation when some trashy looking girl with no makeup in sweat pants, stained shirt, gas-station sunglasses, buying off brand everything because she cares really nothing of quality just the look has a Louis Vuitton hand bag on her side. This is why market skimming is used as a pricing strategy. Price is half of reputation. People who are willing to buy unique product at a premium price are the ones being marketed too. The high pricing strategy limits the introduction of the product in the beginning making it more desirable hopefully to innovators and early adopters wanting to be the leading status quo of their network. In Japan and Hawaii prices are increased in peak times to increase profits whenever possible. In 2001 when the market didn’t look good with interest rates at all time lows and the stock market looking gloomy Louis Vuitton increased prices. Why? To make themselves desirable to let people make sure that they know this is luxury, this is your status quo and that they know you will buy it if you have the money whether you have to save or just have the money lying around because you want to dream because everyone wants to be something more than average. Playing a 90-second commercial on TV to inform people about Louis Vuitton new corporate branding campaign to highlight the brand’s travel heritage was a wise move in my opinion. First off it’s a 90-second commercial, that’s three regular commercials. So obviously it costs more, it grabs your attention longer, and it’s like hanging a carrot in front of a horse to

How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like Crazy - CoSchedule

How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like Crazy When you’re creating content for your blog, what are you hoping to achieve? More than likely, you’re working to attract qualified leads for your business. Unfortunately, though, this can be easier said than done. Business blogging comes with its challenges. Maybe you’re dealing with a bounce rate thats higher than ideal. Perhaps people aren’t clicking on your calls-to-action or converting through your forms. Its possible you’re attracting an audience, but they aren’t interested in your products or services. You may even be spending resources on creating valuable offerings, but they aren’t attracting qualified leads. There has to be something you can do about this, right? You shouldn’t give up on your blog, but rather optimize your content for lead generation. After reading through this guide, you’ll be able to do just that. How to Create Effective Blog Posts That Convert Like CrazyDownload Your Free Blogging Resource Bundle This post is jam-packed with advice. Put it all into practice with these free bonus templates, guides, and reports. Heres what weve included: A Blog Post Outline Template to write thorough content every time. A 28-page Blog Writing Process Bonus Guide to dig even deeper into how to create comprehensive content. A How to Write a Call to Action Bonus Template to craft CTAs that convert crazy amounts of traffic. A Content Calendar Excel Template to plan and schedule all your blog posts. 5 free Google Analytics Custom Reports to measure the effectiveness of your content promotion in just a few clicks. Have One Main Goal When Planning Your Content Hint: that one overall goal should revolve around lead generation. To start, you need to clearly define this goal. It’s not enough to just say you want to generate leads. You need to follow a process for making that goal work. You have two ways of doing this: SMART  or CLEAR  goal setting. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. With SMART goals, your focus is on making a goal that provides enough information to make reporting on results easier. A SMART lead generation goal could be: "We want to increase qualified, sales-ready blog leads by 50% this quarter compared to last quarter." CLEAR stands for: Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, and Refinable. The CLEAR goal-setting process is the more recent alternative to SMART goals. Adam Kreek, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker, developed this alternative to fit a more up-to-speed, agile environment. A CLEAR lead generation goal could be: We want to work as a marketing team to bring 5 new qualified leads from marketing blog objectives for sales readiness through quality content offerings. With your blog content, you want to decide on one of these goal-setting options, or create your own way, so that you can clearly understand your path. Your goal, regardless of methodology, should be set up in a way that allows you to see a beginning-to-end process for your work. CLEAR vs SMART Goals: which do you use for your #content #marketing?Yes, your blog should be designed around your readership’s needs and pain points, so you should have subgoals for that. However, your overall, most important goal should always be what lead results you want to see from your efforts. In addition to setting up your goal, you have a choice for how you’ll follow your content’s results. You can use calendar software, such as what you’d find with , or choose a do-it-yourself (DIY) calendar system  in Excel or Google Sheets. By following a calendar, you’re better able to see how your content is leading to or falling away from your established goal. Recommended Reading: How To Get Crazy Organized With A Comprehensive Content Calendar (Free Template) The Complete 14-Step Content Strategy That Will Boost Your Results by 434% Use The Right Tool(s) For Contact Information Collection And Follow-Up The best way to turn your blog into a lead generation tool is to have a system in place for quick and easy contact collection. You want to acquire at least an email address. Ideally, you’ll want more information to help you create a personalized lead nurturing experience. You’ll want to find the tool or tools that’ll help you with this process. The tool(s) need to help you develop a seamless system for both marketing and sales to work together. Whichever system you put in place should help you take a blog subscriber and follow their path to a sale. Some of the best lead acquisition and nurturing tools, depending on your needs and budget, are: MailChimp: Best for contact collection and email marketing HubSpot’s CRM: Best for lead nurturing and monitoring When using MailChimp, you can add sign-up widgets for your blog sidebar so that it is always visible to your readers. You also have the option of creating a pop-up form to appear when readers visit your blog. Add the MailMunch  integration to create these widgets and pop-ups. Watch this video to see how: You’re given options for copy, design, form fields, and other elements. This integration is free, but it means the MailMunch name will appear with your form. Using these forms allows for contact information to go straight into your chosen MailChimp list. It’s an easy, automatic way to bring leads to your email marketing platform for further contact. MailChimp is primarily an email marketing platform, so it doesn’t give you a full picture of where each contact stands in your sales funnel. That’s when you need to find a tool that can take your contacts further along. HubSpot has a CRM that offers what you need to collaborate and monitor your contacts as they proceed through the sales funnel. You can use this tool to track the emails you send to your leads, if you use Gmail. Or, you can use MailChimp for email and HubSpot’s CRM for taking your marketing activity and passing it along to sales. HubSpot’s CRM gives you thorough information collected from each of your contacts. This information is found automatically, when possible. You can learn where the contact works, their phone number, and even their social media accounts. All of this information is available in one place along with your contact’s timeline. If you want to take your lead generation one step further, try using a full-service, all-in-one platform. HubSpot has a marketing platform  that’ll help you track leads from source to sale and beyond. It offers ways to engage with leads from when they’re just visiting after they’ve made a purchase. You’ll know which blog elements resonated with them to help you create a truly personalized lead nurturing experience. Whichever tool(s) you select, make sure it works well enough to remove any barriers between contact collection and sales follow-up. You’ll want tools that work seamlessly together or just one tool that does it all. This system of having a lead nurturing tool(s) will help you truly see a successful return on investment (ROI) with your blog activity. Recommended Reading: How to Be More Successful With the Right Content Marketing Tools Make Your Content Relevant To Your Buyer Personas Your blog is an opportunity for dual benefits. You want to bring in leads on your end, but to do this, you also need to give your readers worthwhile content. To see the right audience convert on your content, you need to create highly-relevant blog resources that benefit your buyer personas. This pinpointed readership  will help you create articles that bring in the right audience for conversion. To create these personas, you can follow your own process, use a template, or follow these steps: Clean up and finalize your data. You likely now have an overwhelming amount of data for your personas. It’s time to filter and clean this up to a more manageable document. Focus on the critical data, such as what is working instead of what should be put aside. Keep your focus on creating reader personas that have data about what they like and what they want to see. Everything else can be removed. Ask your current readers for their input. When you’re looking for what is working versus what is missing, one of your best opportunities is to ask your current readership directly. Use a tool, such as Google Forms, to reach out to them via email, or add a survey to your social media accounts. Twitter polls, for example, are great for multiple choice questions. Your readers are eager to be heard, and asking them for their input is largely effective for that very reason. Evaluate how your readers behave. Use Google Analytics  for this because the tool gives you so much information about how your website visitors are behaving on your site. You can track which blog posts have the most visitors versus which ones have the longer time on-page data. Take advantage of this information to see what’s working for you so far versus what needs improvement. Compare your real data with your ideal data. Take what you know about your current readership and compare it to who your ideal reader would be. This is a hypothetical reader that you’d want to see visit your blog. They are contacts that fit with your conversion goal. Collect initial demographic data. Where do they work? What is their age and gender? Where are they located? These are all examples of the demographic data you should collect. This data should describe your current readership to help you understand your status now for better decisions in the future. An example of a tool you can use to collect this information is Google Display Planner. It provides detailed information about your audience via search results and website activity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiGfgo4RJDA Find your target audience’s pain points. Do some research on social media and review sites to see what your target readers are complaining about. Tracking mentions, hashtags, and keywords can help with that. This will give you important information about problems you can solve via blog content. The more relevant and timely your content is, the more conversions you’ll see. Ask your sales team for their findings. Your sales team acquires a great amount of data on your customers and prospects when they’re taking each one through the sales process. They can offer valuable information for your use as you build your personas. Take the information you acquire to develop personas based on what you know is effective so far. Audit your current content. Look at your current content to see if it’s getting any engagement. Blog comments and social shares are two ways to determine your content’s value. Check your bounce rate in Google Analytics. Analyze social media metrics to see how people are reacting to your content on each platform. Are they retweeting? Do they add a comment? Are you getting a lot of link clicks? These are all ways to determine whether your readers are enjoying or skipping your content. Apply the data into a persona document. You can use a tool, such as Xtensio, to create a manageable document for your personas. Or use your own Excel, Google Sheets, Word, or Google Docs template. To make your content relevant to the right audience, you need to know who they are and what they want to see from you. Your personas can help you with that. Personas aren’t permanent or final, however. They’re fluid as your target readership changes. As trends change, reader interests change. Your blog content and personas need to adapt with these changes. Recommended Reading: How To Find Your Target Audience And Create The Best Content That Connects Spark Your User Persona To Life With These 9 Important Tools Take The Time To Fully Prepare Your Content To truly make effective blog content, it’s not enough to just dive right in. You need a plan for what you’re going to write and how you’re going to present your ideas. Otherwise, you risk creating scattered content. It will confuse your readers and likely make them leave without converting. That’s why it’s so critical for you to do the necessary research and planning before you start to write your draft. If you're looking for conversions, planning and researching your #blog #content is critical.First, Identify Your Topic. Finding a topic that will resonate with your target readers can be a challenge. You not only need to know what you’re going to write about but also how you’re going to present the idea in your article headline. You have tools available  to you that can help you with this process: Impact’s Blog Title Generator With BlogAbout by Impact Branding Design, you choose a keyword, such as â€Å"marketing† to help you fill out the headline prompts. The keyword is more for your reference as you receive the prompts, but the headline ideas can apply to any keyword you choose. When you receive a headline idea that you like, you can click on the heart to save it in a list for future reference. When you have enough options, you can request the list be sent to you automatically by email. To add to this tool’s value, you also have the option of free writing using their â€Å"writer’s block† section. It’s a blank canvas you can draw in to get your thoughts onto â€Å"paper.† This tool has one noticeable glitch though. Exporting your list does not always work. It might be best to type out your favorites into a separate document. This will also make it easier for you to work with the content instead of having to copy/paste from the email. Portent’s Content Idea Generator Unlike BlogAbout, Portent’s Content Idea Generator does not have an export feature. However, it does have several helpful features to make up for it. This tool gives you especially creative (sometimes controversial) headline prompts using the keyword you chose. It adds your selected keyword into the headline along with the rest of the text. With your prompt, Portent adds commentary to the words to help inspire you or simply to make you laugh. The comments can give you more ideas for the visible headline or help you create an entirely new one. HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator HubSpot’s tool for discovering topic ideas is different from the other two tools. With their Blog Topic Generator, you insert 3 noun-based keywords. The tool will then give you 5 headline ideas based on those words. You can mix and match the headlines on your own, but HubSpot doesn’t let you do it in the tool. Instead, export the list via email or copy/paste them into an editable document. When you’re considering a topic generated from these tools, keep your reader personas in mind at all times. Even if you think the headline sounds funny or appealing, you need to stick with the ones that will attract your target readers. Pick the topics that mention or at least will cover a specific pain point in your readers. When they read content that truly speaks to their needs, they are more likely to follow-through on your call-to-action to convert into leads. Have you tried these content idea generators from @Portent, @HubSpot, and @impactbnd?Then, Create An Outline You now have a topic picked out. It’s time to start writing your draft, right? No. You always need to take the necessary step of creating an outline. Why? You’ll create structure out of your various points. You’ll make it easier on yourself when writing your draft. The outline will ensure your article’s readability factor. To create the best outline, make sure you’re creating one that has plenty of detail and all your points listed. Have your headings and subheadings ready to go. Include any research you’re going to cite, placed where they belong in your article. Add your main points, even if in fragments, to each heading and subheading. This all will make creating your first draft a lot faster, easier, and more efficient. Writing #blog post outlines will make creating your first draft a lot faster, easier, and more...Focus Your Content  On Reader Benefits Now that you know the importance of reader personas, your next step is to create content that benefits them. You want to create content that gets found in search results, but your priority should always be on helping your readers. There’s nothing worse than putting in all the effort in creating your article just to see your bounce rate increase. The important thing to remember is that your content can either put off your readers  or get them wanting more. When they choose the latter, that’s your chance at converting them via your call-to-action. When you’re writing your article, your focus should be on the following: Readability.  Is your article easy to scan and read quickly? Are your points easily understood? Use Hemingway  or the Yoast SEO plugin  to help you with this. Benefits. Does your article provide value to your readers? Are they given instructions they can take with them and apply with their own work? Readability  is key when you’re trying to keep your readers from beginning to end. To keep your blog post focused on this, it needs to follow these best practices: According to Yoast, it’s important that you write in simple English so that younger audiences would be able to understand what you’re saying. This is known as the Flesch reading ease score. Using transition words helps your readers by dividing one point from another. This makes your content easier to digest. You can use words such as â€Å"and,† â€Å"but,† â€Å"or,† â€Å"because,† etc to separate your points. For example: â€Å"The article was 5,000 words long, so the writer divided it into a series of posts.† Use enough subheadings  to make scanning your article easier. For example, if your article is 1000 words, divide it into 3-5 subheadings. Too much text per subheading, such as 500 words in block text, will make it harder for your readers to scan through. Keep your paragraphs short to keep reader focus. Shorter paragraphs help readers understand your point quicker than longer paragraphs. Make sure your sentences are short.  Longer sentences are inevitable, but you don’t want too many of them in your article. The ideal sentence length should not exceed 20 words. Avoid using passive voice  when possible. Otherwise, you make your sentences harder to read: An example of passive voice: â€Å"The article was written by Annaliese.† Switching it to active voice: â€Å"Annaliese wrote the article.† Use plenty of bulleted lists, white space, imagery, and other breaks from your block text. This will help your readers understand your points without losing focus. Benefits  are what make your content worth readers’ time. If you’re too focused on what you want from your post, you’ll neglect providing value to your readers. Blogging is about helping your readers first, so self-promotion should always be secondary. Along with giving people a reason to read, you also want to give them actionable takeaways. This is the end benefit you should offer your readers. They are looking for assistance with their own needs and efforts, so they expect to have ways to apply what they’ve learned from you. articles focus on reader benefits by ensuring that every article includes thorough explanations, step-by-step instructions, and applicable takeaways. Each of their articles includes content readers can download to further enhance the experience. Another blog that does a good job is from Buffer. Their articles are also thorough, and they regularly update them to ensure readers learn the latest trends and techniques for their efforts. No matter what: focus on your readers first, and give them what they came for in the first place. Recommended Reading: How To Communicate Effectively With Your Blog Readers To Keep Them Reading Be Strategic With Your CTA Wording, Design, And Placement Your call-to-action or CTA has to be convincing enough to get your readers to click on it. You may be wondering: how can I accomplish this? The answer: you create a CTA that follows these best practices. This is how you’ll get people to give you their contact information and convert. This is how you’ll get people to give you their contact information and convert.Nail Your CTA Copy Your call-to-action copy needs to be short but still give readers a reason to click on it. It should be focused on real benefits and not serve as clickbait. Use power words  to convince visitors that this action they’ll take will be worthwhile. Make it clear why and how they should act on your CTA. As you can see from the example below, uses strong wording in their CTAs, such as â€Å"get,† â€Å"now,† and â€Å"free.† They’re expressing a sense of urgency and making their CTA a command to help visitors take action. Also, makes the value clear in what they’ll provide in exchange for the visitor’s information. They tell visitors that they offer the â€Å"#1 Marketing Calendar,† which clearly shows that their product is worth considering. When you’re working on your CTAs, make sure you’re using strong words, such as commands or value-based terms, to give your visitors a reason to click through. When you're working on CTAs, use emotional words to give your visitors a reason to click through.Pay Attention to CTA Design Use different text colors or use images to help your CTA stand out, but be careful that your design doesn’t confuse or annoy your readers.  Check to see that your CTA design stands out without interrupting the flow of your article. You want your CTA to be noticeable without being intrusive. That’s why experimenting with your CTA design is key. You’ll want to find the right method for best lead generation results. Let’s look at this example from a recent HubSpot article. Their call-to-action displays a preview image and bold colors. The text is large enough to be easily noticeable. Their CTA stands out from the page’s white background. As it is located at the end of the article, it doesn’t interrupt the reader. Experiment With CTA Placement Many times, you’ll see a CTA that’s in-line with the article copy. Other times, it may be a clickable image with text overlay. Regardless, you want to use a placement that stands out from the rest of your article and page as a whole. You want your CTA to fit naturally with your article without getting lost in the flow. Whether it’s at the beginning, middle, or end of your article page, you want to choose wisely. It’s important that you experiment thoroughly with which placement converts the most visitors. There’s not one best placement for everyone, so test it until you know what works for you and your visitors. Also, don’t be afraid to add it more than once per article. You just want to make sure it doesn’t take away from your article’s readability. If your readers can’t stay focused on your article, they may leave before considering your CTA. In the above example from the Convince Convert blog, this CTA is placed at the end of their articles. It takes a wide space to really stand out to readers who made it to the end. It doesn’t interrupt the article content but rather gives readers a reason to seek more. This is a prime example of a strategically-placed CTA. How To Test Your CTAs for Copy, Design, and Placement Optimization Only make one change at a time. Continue this process until you start seeing a decline in leads generated. If you don’t see improvement with a change, revert back to the last setting and make a different change. Use your available analytics to see if the change produced more leads, the same, or less. Testing is never over. Your readership changes over time, so your CTAs should adapt as a result. The best way to stay in tune with what works for your readers is to experiment regularly with your CTA copy, design, and placement. Although you have these three elements to work with, always remember to only make one change at a time. Otherwise, you won’t know which change was the winner. Recommended Reading: How To Write A Call To Action In A Template With 6 Examples How To Create Opt-In Forms: 5 Ways To Convert Traffic Like Crazy 11 WordPress Plugins To Inspire Visitors To Take Action Provide A Gated Content Upgrade Relating To Your Post In the last section, you learned about CTAs and saw examples from a blog article. If you look at the in-line and pop-up CTA examples again, you’ll see that they lead to what’s called a â€Å"content upgrade.† It’s an additional resource related to the article’s topic. It often serves as a way for readers to apply what they’ve learned from your article. uses content upgrades in almost all of their articles. It’s a quick and effective way to get more conversions than a simple CTA would provide. With a content upgrade, you want to ask for an email address at a  minimum. However, to fully optimize your further contact with readers, ask for a name and other personalized information. This will help your email outreach and also any sales-based contact. Recommended Reading: How To Create Amazing Content Upgrades For Your Blog Have A Content Promotion Plan In Place Before you finalize your blog draft, and before you publish it, you should have a plan for how you’re going to promote it. Your first focus should be on optimizing your content for social sharing. Then, you can plan how, where, and when to share your new content online. First: Optimizing Your Content For Sharing To see your content reach a larger audience than your own, you need your readers to share it with their networks. They won’t share if you don’t make it easy for them, so you want to pay attention to this when finalizing your draft. There are several tools you can use to make social sharing a breeze: ’s   in-line tweet prompt Sumo’s image sharer AddThis’s social sharing buttons uses social sharing buttons and Click-To-Tweet to give people more than one way to share. Make sure your content is optimized for social sharing by including options in the form of in-line engagement and sharing buttons to give your audience a quick, simplified process. Next: Plan Your Own Promotion Schedule Your own content promotion is important for notifying your existing fans and followers of new content. It’s important that you know what you’re doing, when you’ll do it, and how you’ll do it effectively. What you’re doing.  What platforms are you using for your content promotion? When you’ll do it.  What days and times are you going to publish your content promotion? How you’ll do it.  What format will you use on each platform, and how will you make it engaging? Use your content calendar to organize your content promotion strategy to make it more manageable. Otherwise, you’ll lose track of where and when you’ve already promoted your content, risking future repeats and mistakes. Recommended Reading: How To Promote Your Blog With 105 Content Promotion Tactics How To Develop An Effective Content Marketing Promotion Strategy How To Promote Your Content Marketing Like A Public Relations Genius What Next? You’re now better prepared to use your blog to generate leads. You have seven pieces of the puzzle that you need to use together to get the full picture. Apply each of these lead generation tactics in your blog activity to achieve the ROI you’re seeking. What tactics have worked best for you from this list? What tactic or tactics would you add? Let us know in the comments!

Huck Finn, Asher Lev and Emma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Huck Finn, Asher Lev and Emma - Essay Example But his religion, Hasidic Judaism, does not encourage art. His father a staunch follower believes that art is for the devil. The authors of these three novels use a number of literary elements and techniques to portray the growth of the protagonists. Of these the three elements of theme, characterisation and setting have helped the authors in their endeavour to show the progress in the lives of the protagonists. On reading these three novels we find that all the three protagonists are in search of self-awareness and go on a journey to seek it. In Huckleberry Finn, the hero, Huck, goes on a journey down the Mississippi River, with a slave named Jim. As he journeys Huck gets to learn a lot about life. He learns about slavery, trust, death and all these lessons help him to improve as a man and also helps him to mature as a man. He learns to listen to his conscience. "Conscience says to me What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean... I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead" (Twain, 1985, chap.16). Asher Lev, the hero of My name is Asher Lev, unlike Huck does not go on any journey in the literal sense. Asher through his paintings throws light on what has been happening to him in life. We get to see a journey of h is life through his art. Austens heroine, Emma Woodhouse too does not set out on a journey in the real sense. The story is all about the journey Emma makes to enter womanhood and how she matures psychologically after marriage.

What Special Effects Were Used To Stage The Medieval Mystery Play Essay

What Special Effects Were Used To Stage The Medieval Mystery Play Noahs Ark - Essay Example There were varied usage of the methods of production alongside the complexity of the plays from place to place, but the creation of theatrical, imaginary space was a notable characteristic of "Noah's Ark."2 In "Noah's Ark," processional staging was used and was considered an important aspect of the play. Processional staging was considered an extremely taxing task as compared with other theatrical forms, but was a distinctive physical feature of "Noah's Ark," being a medieval play. The play involved planning a clearly defined circuit, which can be pushed through a synchronized schedule and traversed in a reasonable amount of time. The actors and actresses were also faced with several difficulties, such as the rigors of continuously staging a single episode repeatedly throughout the day. Revivifying "Noah's Ark" entailed experiments different from the traditional mobile pageantry stations or theatre-in-the round which used to characterise past presentations. A mobile is an important part of the special effects of "Noah's Ark," which involved the creation of a convincing scene.3 An isolated staging place was needed when the play was finally staged. The pageant wagons, which were also known as carriages, were considered a high place, constructed into a house with two rooms, being open in its upper floor. The lower room served as the dressing room while the higher room served as the stage on which the actors performed. ... The audiences would be waiting in advance at the time the wagons arrived, wherein the most well-off people were seated in specially constructed scaffolds.5 When the first pageants proceeded to the first station, which was at 4:30 in the morning, it was a signal that the performance would then start. It is noteworthy to mention in this paper that the medieval cycle, in which "Noah's Ark" was part, involved 48 plays, indicating that the last play would end at the last station until after midnight. There must be 19 hours of uninterrupted attention that the entire cycle required of its audience.6The pageant master took care of matters pertaining to costumes, which were predominantly with little attempts at historical accuracy and did not bear any distinctions of race or rank. The outfits of soldiers, peasants, and tradesmen may be described as visually anachronistic, which provided a frame of reference against which the audience may determine the rest of the action.7 It was necessary tha t "Noah's Ark" use mask as part of the costume, as all other medieval plays of this time. The costume of the angels includes a half-gold mask, a large, tall golden hat crown and a blue robe with dash of gold. Specificity to the social status was essential feature of some characters, such as slouchy robes and hats for the male characters, while the female ones wore robes and short hats. Year after year, the play loaned some garments from members of the public, such as showy cloaks, dresses belonging to the ampler women of the community, or rich mantles characteristic of theatrical impression. Cast-off clothing of richer people was used as costumes, cunningly worked together to form slashed garments of masters and mistresses.8"Noah's Ark" did

An event in your life that changed you Essay Example for Free

An event in your life that changed you Essay A new house, new school, and a completely new atmosphere were ahead of my nine-year-old life. I had lived in the same house for what it seemed like forever and had attended the same school since first grade. I knew everyone. From January to December, my calendars were filled with birthday parties I had to attend. Performing in talent shows with my best friends Dezerey, Jasmine, and Nykchasia were a yearly activity at Garden Valley Elementary School. The Robinson Centers summer camp was mandatory for my big sister, Breonna, and me. I was used to familiarities like the Chihuahua that ran to the front of its gate and barked every time I rode past it on my sleek, black rollerblades. Those rollerblades made me feel untouchable, at ease and confident until I had to ride them in a new area, surrounded by new, unfamiliar people. Close to the end of my fourth grade year, my mother told my sister and me that we were moving to Terricina Gold Apartments in Natomas. I did not think it was going to change anything. I was probably a bit excited for what was to come. I can clearly remember my first day at Two Rivers Elementary school being terrified. I believe that was when it first hit me that I was not at home anymore. My comfort zone left was tarnished. I remember having butterflies and feeling as if I was going to faint before I stepped foot onto school grounds. When I got to the blacktop all I could do was stand there in silence. The other kids were standing around in there cliques and it was obvious that the fifth graders controlled the far left gate on the black top. I remember one girl that stood out. She looked larger than life in my eyes. She was bright skinned, tall and everyone seemed to flock to her. She made me feel small without even knowing her. I was having trouble finding my classroom number on the blacktop where my class was supposed to  line up. I completely gave up after a few minutes mainly because I felt so out of place I just wanted to hide. Not to mention I am legally blind and even with my glasses I still cannot see all that well so finding my class line was a far reach for my nine-year old mind. I felt out of place and inferior so I I took it upon myself to run away and hide in the nearest bathroom. I stayed in that bathroom for a while, even after the bell rang. I eventually decided to take a step out of the bathroom and walk to my class. In fourth grade I absolutely did not have any social skills. Many children lived in my new apartments. I envied their large groups of friends and seeing them made me miss my old ones. I could never gather up the courage to talk to anyone. Thankfully, I had my older sister. She is the most outgoing between us and she managed to know everyone in nearly a week of our residency. I eventually met everyone that lived in the apartments but I never felt at ease with them as I did with my old friends. I rode my rollerblades all around those apartments and they made me happy like a piece of home was with me. I never realized that I was in fact an introvert. I suppose I had always been a timid person my mother brings up her memories of my behavior as a child often. I never realized my childhood behavior until now. I remember my mom changing my teachers and being too afraid to walk into the classroom even though I knew the teacher and all the students well. Moving away from my familiarities showed how quiet and unsociable I was. I did not have friends at school until I was well into my seventh grade year. Today, I am on the verge of twenty-years-of-age, and I still have to work on speaking up and being more sociable. Before I had many friends and after I moved, I did not. I believe if I stayed where I lived before I would have been given a sense of security. Looking back, I believe I would not have gained a great number of wonderful friends. My experiences with people in my apartments are always the topic of conversation with my family and friends and they bring on tons of laughs and feelings of embarrassment. I love revisiting my old Natomas neighborhoods and seeing my old friends. We always joke saying TG (Terricina Gold) for life. I guess you can call it a family.

Behaviorism Essay -- Behavior Psychology Psychological Essays

Behaviorism Psychology is the science of behavior. Psychology is not the science of the mind. Behavior can be described and explained without making reference to mental events or to internal psychological processes. The sources of behavior are external (in the environment), not internal (in the mind). Behaviorism is a doctrine, or a set of doctrines, about human and nonhuman animal behavior. An important component of many psychological theories in the late nineteenth century were introspection, the study of the mind by analysis of one's own thought processes. It was in reaction to this trend that behaviorism arose, claiming that the causes of behavior need not be sought in the depths of the mind but could be observed in the immediate environment, in stimuli that elicited, reinforced, and punished certain responses. The explanation, in other words, lay in learning, the process whereby behavior changes in response to the environment. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that the scientist began to uncover the actual mechanism of learning, thereby laying the theoretical foundation for behaviorism. The contributions of four particular scientists are Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, Edward Lee Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner. A Russian neurophysiologist, named Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), found that if he consistently sounded a tone at the same time that he gave a dog food, the dog would eventually salivate to the sound of the tone alert. Through this research he discovered a basic mechanism of learning called the Conditioned Reflex. A Conditioned Reflex is if a neutral stimulus (i.e. the tone) is paired with a nonneutral stimulus (i.e. the food), the organism will eventually respond to the neutral stimulus as it does to the nonneutral stimulus. Perhaps the strongest application of classical conditioning involves emotion. Common experience and careful research both confirm that human emotion conditions very rapidly and easily. Particularly when the emotion is intensely felt or negative in direction, it will condition quickly. His findings raised the possibility that many of our responses, like those of the dogs, were the result of a simple learning process. In other words, our loves and hates, our tastes and distastes might be the consequences of nothing more mysterious that a conditioning process whereby various things in our environment became "linked" in our min... ...lly "spreads," or generalizes, to thinks that resemble the conditioned stimulus. An example to this is in Watson's experiment with little Albert's spontaneous fear of rabbits, and other animals that resembles a white rate. The opposite side of the coin from generalization is discrimination that is learning to distinguish among similar stimuli and to respond only to the appropriate one. People learn to discriminate between similar stimuli, between a friendly smile and a malicious grin. When one turns to have reinforcing consequences and the other does not. When I was a little boy I loved the ice cream man. There would be so much noise going up and down my block but I could always hear his music over all the noise. Shaping is a critical process to operant conditioning. Throughout this process there is a positive reinforcement of successive approximations. The basic assumptions of behaviorism are that psychology's task is to study behavior, or the responses an organism makes to the stimuli in its environment; that psychological research should be empirical, based on measurement; that behavior can be controlled and predicted, and that the major component of behavior is learning. Behaviorism Essay -- Behavior Psychology Psychological Essays Behaviorism Psychology is the science of behavior. Psychology is not the science of the mind. Behavior can be described and explained without making reference to mental events or to internal psychological processes. The sources of behavior are external (in the environment), not internal (in the mind). Behaviorism is a doctrine, or a set of doctrines, about human and nonhuman animal behavior. An important component of many psychological theories in the late nineteenth century were introspection, the study of the mind by analysis of one's own thought processes. It was in reaction to this trend that behaviorism arose, claiming that the causes of behavior need not be sought in the depths of the mind but could be observed in the immediate environment, in stimuli that elicited, reinforced, and punished certain responses. The explanation, in other words, lay in learning, the process whereby behavior changes in response to the environment. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that the scientist began to uncover the actual mechanism of learning, thereby laying the theoretical foundation for behaviorism. The contributions of four particular scientists are Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, Edward Lee Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner. A Russian neurophysiologist, named Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), found that if he consistently sounded a tone at the same time that he gave a dog food, the dog would eventually salivate to the sound of the tone alert. Through this research he discovered a basic mechanism of learning called the Conditioned Reflex. A Conditioned Reflex is if a neutral stimulus (i.e. the tone) is paired with a nonneutral stimulus (i.e. the food), the organism will eventually respond to the neutral stimulus as it does to the nonneutral stimulus. Perhaps the strongest application of classical conditioning involves emotion. Common experience and careful research both confirm that human emotion conditions very rapidly and easily. Particularly when the emotion is intensely felt or negative in direction, it will condition quickly. His findings raised the possibility that many of our responses, like those of the dogs, were the result of a simple learning process. In other words, our loves and hates, our tastes and distastes might be the consequences of nothing more mysterious that a conditioning process whereby various things in our environment became "linked" in our min... ...lly "spreads," or generalizes, to thinks that resemble the conditioned stimulus. An example to this is in Watson's experiment with little Albert's spontaneous fear of rabbits, and other animals that resembles a white rate. The opposite side of the coin from generalization is discrimination that is learning to distinguish among similar stimuli and to respond only to the appropriate one. People learn to discriminate between similar stimuli, between a friendly smile and a malicious grin. When one turns to have reinforcing consequences and the other does not. When I was a little boy I loved the ice cream man. There would be so much noise going up and down my block but I could always hear his music over all the noise. Shaping is a critical process to operant conditioning. Throughout this process there is a positive reinforcement of successive approximations. The basic assumptions of behaviorism are that psychology's task is to study behavior, or the responses an organism makes to the stimuli in its environment; that psychological research should be empirical, based on measurement; that behavior can be controlled and predicted, and that the major component of behavior is learning.

‘the Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson

‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses plot. characterisation and suspense to develop several themes. In doing so Jackson deepens our understanding of people and the nature of society. The story begins in a growing village which holds an annual lottery, but instead of being rewarded the person who receives the marked paper gets stoned to death. This itself demonstrates one of the main themes of man’s inhumanity to man. Jackson also shows this by telling the reader that it is a small community that murders one of its own members which shows the shocking and cruel nature achieved by humans. We can see this by looking at the start of the story when a group of boys play at the lake: â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example† This shows inhumanity in an unclear way because the reader doesn’t know why they are doing collecting stones but soon realise at the end that it was so they could throw them at the person who was about to get stoned. Another aspect which shows that the civilisation is inhumane is that the village barely conceal the savagery of killing a member of its own community. Jackson shows this by telling us that the killings are done by ‘decent’ people who are show themselves to be kind generous people, but a family realises that it is no their family they proceed with an unsympathetic disinterest for the family that does receive the marked paper. Also, the village does not attempt to hide their actions from other villages, which tells us that they think that their actions are the right actions to take. This story also makes the reader question: â€Å"Is life expandable? It may make us think of this because good innocent people still suffer, and that it was all down to chance that decides what happens to whom. Characterisation adds something to our understanding of nature and society because the author does not focus on one character alone or tell anything about them; instead Jackson focuses on a group of people united by a common objective, which is to avoid receiving the marked paper which will conclude in the person being stoned to death . When looking at the characterisation of the characters, it is important to know that Jackson does not give any detail about any of the characters. We can see this when Tessie Hutchison first arrives at the lottery ceremony: â€Å"Mrs Hutchison came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place. † This proves that Jackson doesn’t go into any detail when it comes to the characters, because when we first see Mrs Hutchison, it tells us that she has a jumper over her shoulders, yet does not tell us what she looks like or what else she is wearing. This does not happen to just one character but all characters throughout the story. `Although all the characters aren’t given in any detail, there are a few characters that stand out through the story. The main person who stands out is the character who gets stoned to death, which happens to be Tessie Hutchison who was also late for the lottery ceremony. When it was Mrs Hutchison who received the marked paper and was chosen to be stoned to death she exclaims: â€Å"â€Å"It isn’t fair, it isn’t right! † Mrs Hutchison screamed, and then they were upon her. This shows Tessie’s selfish nature because she hasn’t objected to any of the stoning’s before, even though it is wrong and cruel. In this context ‘fair’ and ‘right’ mean the same thing to Tessie because it was her who received the marked paper and not someone else, and if it was someone else she would’ve took part in the stoning. This also reflects th e cruel nature of the whole community because they are happy to murder one of their own members as long as it is not themselves that gets stoned. Another character which stands out is Mr Summers, the organiser of the lottery. Mr Summers is perceived as a cold hearted person near the end of the story even though at the start he is saw as a person who â€Å"had time and energy to devote to civic activities† which tells us that he is saw as a nice kind person. We can see that he is actually a cold hearted person after Tessie receives the marked paper. â€Å"â€Å"That was done pretty fast, now we’ve got to be hurrying a little more to get done I time. †Ã¢â‚¬  This shows that he is cold hearted because he says that sentence as if he has better things to do. It also tells us that he is a very organised person because he talks like he is sticking to a specific timetable. Another important group of characters are at the very beginning of the story. They are the children. The children are important because they create suspense in the beginning of the story and also show how the savagery of the parents is transferred onto the children and they will then grow up believing in the same things as their parents. It also shows that the nature of people and society are cruel because they are only children and no one thinks that children playing by a lake are evil. We can see that the children are related to the savagery of man towards man when we look at the children by the lake. â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example† This shows the barbaric nature of the village because it is only the start of the story and already children are preparing for the stoning of a person in their village. The Lottery’ is quite different from other short stories, because short stories are usually made up of three main things: * A normal beginning * Some sort of adventure occurs and the main character gets dragged into the plot * And some sort of twist at the end. ‘The Lottery’ is not like most short stories because it has the same story line all the way throughout, and doesn’t involve any action or adventure. However there is a twist at the end because the reader doesn’t suspect that the person is going to be stoned to death, and it is only until we re-read the story that we realise that everything was connected to each other in some way. For example the boys picking up the stones at the beginning and then throwing them at Tessie at the end. Jackson also creates suspense to add something to our understanding of people and the nature of society. Jackson creates suspense by giving full details of the preparation of the lottery to stall for a while before actually talking about the lottery. She also creates suspense by creating lots of conversations among the villagers, which also shows the barbarity of the village because they all talk to each other like normal neighbours would, and makes the reader unaware of what is about to happen. In conclusion, Shirley Jackson has made me aware that people may think that they are civilised, but we also have the potential to be barbaric savages who all follow one leader. It has also made me aware that society can turn against you if people think it is for the right reasons. ‘the Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses plot. characterisation and suspense to develop several themes. In doing so Jackson deepens our understanding of people and the nature of society. The story begins in a growing village which holds an annual lottery, but instead of being rewarded the person who receives the marked paper gets stoned to death. This itself demonstrates one of the main themes of man’s inhumanity to man. Jackson also shows this by telling the reader that it is a small community that murders one of its own members which shows the shocking and cruel nature achieved by humans. We can see this by looking at the start of the story when a group of boys play at the lake: â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example† This shows inhumanity in an unclear way because the reader doesn’t know why they are doing collecting stones but soon realise at the end that it was so they could throw them at the person who was about to get stoned. Another aspect which shows that the civilisation is inhumane is that the village barely conceal the savagery of killing a member of its own community. Jackson shows this by telling us that the killings are done by ‘decent’ people who are show themselves to be kind generous people, but a family realises that it is no their family they proceed with an unsympathetic disinterest for the family that does receive the marked paper. Also, the village does not attempt to hide their actions from other villages, which tells us that they think that their actions are the right actions to take. This story also makes the reader question: â€Å"Is life expandable? It may make us think of this because good innocent people still suffer, and that it was all down to chance that decides what happens to whom. Characterisation adds something to our understanding of nature and society because the author does not focus on one character alone or tell anything about them; instead Jackson focuses on a group of people united by a common objective, which is to avoid receiving the marked paper which will conclude in the person being stoned to death . When looking at the characterisation of the characters, it is important to know that Jackson does not give any detail about any of the characters. We can see this when Tessie Hutchison first arrives at the lottery ceremony: â€Å"Mrs Hutchison came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place. † This proves that Jackson doesn’t go into any detail when it comes to the characters, because when we first see Mrs Hutchison, it tells us that she has a jumper over her shoulders, yet does not tell us what she looks like or what else she is wearing. This does not happen to just one character but all characters throughout the story. `Although all the characters aren’t given in any detail, there are a few characters that stand out through the story. The main person who stands out is the character who gets stoned to death, which happens to be Tessie Hutchison who was also late for the lottery ceremony. When it was Mrs Hutchison who received the marked paper and was chosen to be stoned to death she exclaims: â€Å"â€Å"It isn’t fair, it isn’t right! † Mrs Hutchison screamed, and then they were upon her. This shows Tessie’s selfish nature because she hasn’t objected to any of the stoning’s before, even though it is wrong and cruel. In this context ‘fair’ and ‘right’ mean the same thing to Tessie because it was her who received the marked paper and not someone else, and if it was someone else she would’ve took part in the stoning. This also reflects th e cruel nature of the whole community because they are happy to murder one of their own members as long as it is not themselves that gets stoned. Another character which stands out is Mr Summers, the organiser of the lottery. Mr Summers is perceived as a cold hearted person near the end of the story even though at the start he is saw as a person who â€Å"had time and energy to devote to civic activities† which tells us that he is saw as a nice kind person. We can see that he is actually a cold hearted person after Tessie receives the marked paper. â€Å"â€Å"That was done pretty fast, now we’ve got to be hurrying a little more to get done I time. †Ã¢â‚¬  This shows that he is cold hearted because he says that sentence as if he has better things to do. It also tells us that he is a very organised person because he talks like he is sticking to a specific timetable. Another important group of characters are at the very beginning of the story. They are the children. The children are important because they create suspense in the beginning of the story and also show how the savagery of the parents is transferred onto the children and they will then grow up believing in the same things as their parents. It also shows that the nature of people and society are cruel because they are only children and no one thinks that children playing by a lake are evil. We can see that the children are related to the savagery of man towards man when we look at the children by the lake. â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example† This shows the barbaric nature of the village because it is only the start of the story and already children are preparing for the stoning of a person in their village. The Lottery’ is quite different from other short stories, because short stories are usually made up of three main things: * A normal beginning * Some sort of adventure occurs and the main character gets dragged into the plot * And some sort of twist at the end. ‘The Lottery’ is not like most short stories because it has the same story line all the way throughout, and doesn’t involve any action or adventure. However there is a twist at the end because the reader doesn’t suspect that the person is going to be stoned to death, and it is only until we re-read the story that we realise that everything was connected to each other in some way. For example the boys picking up the stones at the beginning and then throwing them at Tessie at the end. Jackson also creates suspense to add something to our understanding of people and the nature of society. Jackson creates suspense by giving full details of the preparation of the lottery to stall for a while before actually talking about the lottery. She also creates suspense by creating lots of conversations among the villagers, which also shows the barbarity of the village because they all talk to each other like normal neighbours would, and makes the reader unaware of what is about to happen. In conclusion, Shirley Jackson has made me aware that people may think that they are civilised, but we also have the potential to be barbaric savages who all follow one leader. It has also made me aware that society can turn against you if people think it is for the right reasons.

Is Shylock a Victim or a Villain? Essay

Shylock: Victim or Villain? With close reference to at least three scenes examine Shakespeare’s presentation of Shylock. Is a villain someone who lends money to help others but then charges interest? Intending to receive a pound of human flesh resulting in certain death if a promise is broken, surely this is somebody who is viewed as a villain. The same man who has experienced prejudice and discrimination all his life only because of his religion, which would be unimaginable in modern day, has this man now turned into a victim? Shakespeare a play writer of the 16th century, so much more creative, sophisticated and knowledgeable then the Elizabethan audience he wrote this play for whom would have perceived Shylock as a Jew a villain, presents Shylock in a more complex way. Jews were thought of by Christians as stubborn non-believers and were accused of poisoning wells and spreading the plague. Shylock was shown to be treated as all these things were true, yet he had a complexity about him as an audience today, against discrimination and accepting other religion and cultures, would feel pity, sympathy and put him towards the victim category. However trying to murder someone for revenge, this is clear villainy to anybody now or thousands of years ago. Throughout the play we ask ourselves, is Shylock a villain or a victim? Shakespeare intends this as he gives Shylock emotive speeches about inequality, which contradicts Shylock as being a villain. Shylock as a character represents the Old Testament, Judaism, which is the belief of justice, retribution and following the law by the letter. Shakespeare gives a clear message about Justice against Antonio for all that he has done towards Shylock; he wants to get his revenge within the law hence the bond. Shylock talks about the Old Testament with Bassanio and Antonio in Act 1: Scene 3, â€Å"This Jacob from our Holy Abram.† Christianity, the New Testament, follows mercy and forgiveness. The Duke and Antonio both show mercy towards Shylock when he has shown none. Shakespeare first introduces Shylock in Act1: Scene3. With no stage directions we have to decipher what a character is like only through what they say. â€Å"Three thousand Ducats-well.† His first line is about money. Shakespeare instantly gives us the impression that his only interest is money. This is also the case when he is at home with Jessica, his daughter and away from work. He explains how he dreamed of money bags yet does not acknowledge his daughter or show her any affection. However we later find out that money is not the only thing on his mind but his longing hatred for Antonio. Shylock hates him for he is a Christian but more because he lends money with no interest. â€Å"I hate him for he is a Christian. But more, for that low in simplicity he lends out money gratis.† Antonio’s hate is reciprocated as he compares Shylock with the Devil and other animals like dogs. In the ring plot involving Portia and the caskets the first Prince is from Morocco, who was black, chose the gold casket but it was not the correct one. The complexion of a Devil in the eyes of An Elizabethan audience was black. Furthermore he has been associated with the devil by his own daughter and also Salerio and Salanio referred to him as the devil in Act 3: Scene 1. This hatred between them is introduced only to grow throughout the play. Shakespeare is very clever and drops hints about Shylock’s character and the actions he will take at the start of the play. Shylock mutters â€Å"Cursed be my tribe, if I ever forgive him.† He will show no mercy towards Antonio and he does not in the trial scene in Act 4: Scene 1. It hard to decide whether Shylock is a victim or villain when he is first introduced as we learn about what he has had to put up with, being called a â€Å"misbeliever†, â€Å"cut throat dog† and others spitting on his beard for the reason that he is a Jew. We feel pity and sympathy for the things he has had to endure which means we cannot cling to a unique view of Shylock as a villain. He wants people to respect him and like him yet he cannot show any affection or respect towards his own daughter. He shows the same hatred back towards Antonio and if he catches him out, â€Å"If I catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.† he will take his revenge. Coiling up all the hatred he has inherited has caused him to pass on the mistrust and hatred to others without being totally aware he is doing so. Moments later he talks about being Antonio’s friend and charging him no interest. This sudden change of feeling and thought gives the audience a suspicion that he is planning something. We no longer think of him as a victim alone, he has shown us through his speech and actions that he has a villainies way about him. He hates him for he is a Christian just as the way Antonio hates Shylock for he is a Jew. Should we now feel sympathy for Antonio? We don’t and I think Shakespeare has decided to portray Shylock as more as a Victim in this scene is to capture the Elizabethan audience alone. A victim is the opposite of what they would have thought of him yet Shakespeare is trying to send a message. They would have though of him to be a stereotypical villain yet he is not Shakespeare has added complexity to his character. A relationship between father and daughter is surely the most precious, the relationship between Shylock and Jessica. However we soon learn a totally different story about the hostile environment when they are together and the deeply buried hatred of Shylock from his only Daughter. Act 2: Scene 3 is where we first meet Jessica, we learn how unhappy she is willing to leave her home town and convert to Christian in order to be with Lorenzo and away from her father, â€Å"I have a Father, you a Daughter lost.† Jessica is also ashamed to be her Fathers child. Again we hear comparisons between Shylock and the Devil: ‘Our house is hell, and thou, a merry Devil’. Shylock has not noticed Jessica’s odd behaviour, too caught up with his own problems and obsession with money. This shows us that although he may love Jessica he does not show it, he is not perceptive and can’t read his own daughter’s unhappiness. Act 2: Scene 3 when we first learn about her willingness to escape to Act 2: Scene 6 when she leaves with Lorenzo for Belmont. The inevitable happens but was this, the turning point for Shylock. Was his daughter running away the point were Shylock would go as far as attempting to kill a man for his revenge? At least before he had someone who looked up to him, loved him and looked after him, or so he thought. The shame would have overwhelmed him, his own flesh and blood turning into a Christian. I think he feared the most what others would say; they would mock him even more once this news had spread. Shylock, his only child that he has bought up single-handed has fled, leaving him totally alone as he has already been widowed. He is evidently controlling over Jessica, â€Å"Do as I bid you, shut doors after you. Fast bind, fast find.† This controlling manner could also be attributed to the over protective nature of a loving single parent. Shakespeare has intended for us to think of Shylock as the victim and we sympathise with him but at the same time we sympathise with Jessica. In Act 2: Scene 5 we see Shylock and Jessica alone. At the start Shylock speaks about money indirectly once again, he is preoccupied and cares more about material things than his only daughter. Shakespeare also portrays the relationship as an awkward one with Jessica not saying a great deal but when she does it is a lie: â€Å"His words were ‘Farewell Mistress’ and nothing else.† When, in fact, they had been talking about Lancelot. A Christian. She is reluctant at first: â€Å"Call you? What is you will?† but by the end she is letting her emotions and true feelings out: â€Å"Farewell and if my fortune be not crossed, I have a Father, you a daughter lost.† Shylock does not know his own daughter yet holds something over her, which makes her scared and a little ashamed to betray him. Through Jessica we see Shylock as an old, cruel man. Devil, hell, blood, ashamed and tediousness are all words that Jessica related to her father. In the 16th century daughters should have respected their fathers, even to this day they still seem a little extreme. These words don’t show respect, only hate. In Act 2: Scene 8, Shakespeare has decided to play this scene so we hear the information second hand. Salerio and Salanio are gossiping about how they have seen Lorenzo and Jessica on a Gondola escaping. The two characters could play this scene in a laughing manner full of jokes. I think this is how Shakespeare intended it to be played. Doing it like this would mean as an audience we would also be influenced by the joking atmosphere and therefore feel less sympathetic towards Shylock. The Elizabethan audience would have loved this, as they would be in the shoes of Salerio and Salanio, mocking Shylock about his loss. We would feel dramatically more sympathetic if Shylock had spoken this speech by himself. However in this scene Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a villain in the way he talks about the flight of his Daughter. A single parent loosing their only daughter should have been the worst possible outcome imaginable. Turmoil, distress, depression and anger should have been the things that were felt. They were but not for his daughter Jessica, but Shylocks money, jewels and wealth. Our sympathy grows as Shylock is portrayed as a victim but is stripped away when we learn he is more interested in his precious stones and jewels that have been taken: â€Å"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! †¦ And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones. Stolen by my daughter. Justice! Find the girl!† these are definitely not the words of a warm hearted, doting father. Did he really love his daughter? Or did he only use her to take his aggression out on that he had built up from all the discrimination he had received. He also loses our sympathy in Act 3: Scene 1 when he finds out that Jessica has run away with a Christian. He treats Jessica merely as another possession and when he learns of her flight he is more anxious of the whereabouts of his treasures and precious ducats: â€Å"I would my daughter were dead at my foot†¦and the ducats in her coffin.† These are not the words of a loving Father, it proves that Shylock would not mourn Jessica’s death or disappearance and the only thing he is interested in his wealth and status. This backs up the points said on Act 2: Scene 8 but this time we read and listen to Shylocks words from his mouth. Salerio and Salanio are here once again but this time mock him directly. They claim Jessica is a better person for converting and that they are not nearly related: â€Å"There is more difference between thy flesh and hers, than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods, than there is between red wine and rhenish.† Shylock has been discriminated on and betrayed by others all his life but when his own daughter does the same, is this the point when he decides to take his revenge and relieve is anger? Shylock claims that Salerio and Salanio knew about his daughter going to flee, he blamed them but how can this be when he lives with his daughter yet did not notice or acknowledge her unhappiness and disconnection with him. Shakespeare is taking us on a roller coaster of emotions towards shylock. We feel sympathetic for him in this scene because he is being mocked for his loss but we then feel hostile towards him only minutes later when he proves he is no better than the Christians who mistreat him. This is the scene when he decides to take a stand and follow through with his unimaginable bond. Well its unimaginable to everyone else but necessary for him, to him he is only giving back what he has taken in the past. â€Å"†¦He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?†¦ the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.† This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches but why does he give it too Shylock, the villain of the play in the Elizabethan audience’s eyes? It gives him a different dimension and makes him seem more human. He stands up for himself and is not as in control or as noble as he was previously. He lets his emotions out many of the ideas used have been taken straight from the teachings of the Christian church. He is using the Christian’s own arguments against them. Shakespeare illustrates Shylock as being intelligent and is no longer a stereotypical villain; he has true, strong feelings that cannot be argued against by anyone. In this scene we also learn the scale of Jessica’s betrayal when she gambled his ring that he had given to Leah when he was a Bachelor for a monkey: † One of them showed me a ring that he had of your daughter for a monkey.† A pit in his stomach is what he would have felt yet it was quickly filled with the thought of Antonio’s misfortune and finally having a chance to take revenge against Antonio within the law. When talking to Tubal about Antonio’s sunken ships he uses a lot of repetition that could mean he has other things on his mind such as how and when he is going to take this inevitable revenge: â€Å"I thank God, I thank God†¦Is it true? Is it true?† Act 3: Scene 1 is one of the most important in the play but also has the most unusual layout. The scene follows the layout of the whole play and also Shylocks emotions. It starts calm, Bassanio trying to take Portia’s hand in marriage, Shylock is doing his job and Salerio and Salanio are just gossiping. It then advances to irritation ad revenge. Shylock decides to take his revenge and in the ring plot Portia and her maid trick both their husbands. Furthermore it reveals all the relationships that Shylock is involved in, his relationship with his daughter, Christians and Tubal who is a Jew. The last time we meet Shylock and the scene that the whole play has been moving towards, the Trial scene. Wanting to go as far as killing a man for revenge is what Shylock wants to do. He is the only being in the court room that believes what he is doing is what he deserves.. He wanted to get his revenge within the law, which is exactly what he is about to do. The duke of Venice greets Antonio and expresses pity for him, calling Shylock an inhuman monster who can summon neither pity nor mercy. The duke of Venice greets Antonio and expresses pity for him, calling Shylock an inhuman monster who can summon neither pity nor mercy. This shows just how biased on others religion people were in the 16th century. The duke, a man of the law has already taken Antonio’s side. However at the same time we get a sense that the Duke is also frightened that Shylock might well go through with his promise inevitably killing Antonio. With words such as inhuman wretch, incapable of pity and stony adversary the Duke turns the audience against Shylock from the start. In addition he says: â€Å"Call the Jew into the room.† They are reminded that he is only a Jew not a human being worthy of credit. Although Shylock is portrayed in a poor light by the other characters, Shakespeare give him intelligence in what he says. â€Å"You have among you many a purchased slave Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, You use in abject and in slavish parts Because you bought them. Shall I say to you ‘Let them be free, marry them to your heirs. Why sweat they under burdens?. . . You will answer ‘The slaves are ours.’ So do I answer you. The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought. ‘Tis mine, and I will have it.† Shylock is not attacking the Venetian law just wants to be treated the same and to be allowed to share in it. This is not something a stereotypical villain would say and we can take this view and relate to it yet for us is does not excuse the killing of another human being. Again, in this passage, we find Shylock cleverly using Venice’s own laws to support his very own revenge. He abides by the law by the letter as his religion of Judaism teaches. Furthermore Shylock asks many questions making people think if they were in his shoes would they not do the same: â€Å"What wouds’t thou have a serpant sting thee twice?† every time he makes a point he justifies it and compares it to the Christians around him. Throughout the play Shylock is reffered to as animals such as dogs, wolves and the Devil. This has been from Antonio because he has been higher in society and power than Shylock but not in this scene. Shylock compares Antonio cats, pigs and rats. Just as some Christians hate cats, pigs, and rats, Shylock hates Antonio. The tables have turned and he is so near to his revenge and Antonio is now so helpless under Shylocks new power. Just as some Christians own slaves with their power, Shylock owns a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Shakespeare shows Shylock to be a new, triumphant man that can show no mercy towards Antonio. In the trial scene, we can see the conflict of idea of judgment of two religions. According to Judaism (Jews religion), justice means punishing the bad people. So, Shylock feels that he has suffered and he must get an eye for an eye. On the other hand Christianity believe in mercy and forgiveness. Mercy is an apparent theme in this scene. It is first mentioned by the Duke, then by Portia who delivers another one of Shakespeare’s speeches. â€Å"The quality of mercy is not strain’d, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Portia states first that the gift of forgiving the bond would benefit Shylock, and second, that it would take Shylock to an improved status. Lastly, Portia warns Shylock that his quest for justice and revenge without mercy may result badly and to his own diadvantage. Rather than a trial scene this scene is more like an interlectual argument between Judaism and Christianity. Once again the two religions are against each other. Shylock decides to unwisely ignore Portia’s speech. Shakespeare creates tension here as it is almost inevitable that he will be allowd to take Antonio’s life and Shylocks greed and blindness has alone portrayed him as a villain. Furthermore he is offered twice the amount in money but he replies: â€Å"If every ducat in six thousand duats were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw them, I would have my bond.† He explains clearly that he only wants his bond. All his l ife it has been about his money, stones and wealth. It had driven away his daughter and his job involving money was one of the reasons he had been mistreated all these years. Shylock always put money first, if he had only done this once more he could have saved himself and his religion. Yet he was so intent on getting his revenge and this clouded his judgment. Shylock is still relishing his revenge just before the final moment: â€Å"O noble judge, O excellent young man.† He is thanking Portia but little does he know he is about to have his life and religion taken from under his feet. We feel resentful towards Shylock for the actions that he is going to take but when Portia reveals he can no longer do so we feel reeif. This does not last for long though as when we hear the punishments and consequences we cannot empathise. In a society today it would be unimaginable for someone to be forced to be taken from their religion. in the 21st centruy we respect others and the religions that they follow, we judge a pearson by their actions. Not their religion. which is what Shylock experienced. As a modern audience we feel sickened when we think and watch this happening yet to the Elizabethan audience this would have only greatly added to the humour of the play. The tables have trned and now after Shylock showed no mercy he is now made to plead for it. as Christians they show it to him. We have to remember that this play is a comedy. A comedy in which the baddy, Shylock the Jew, is punished and the goody, Antonio the Christian, is saved. In this case Portia was the one who restored the humour for the Elizabethan audience by restoring justice against Shylock. There are many themes in this play that link all characters. Bonds that exist between people, revenge, the sea and law versus justice. The bond of hatred that existed between Shylock and Antonio was a central element of the play. It leads to the actual bond of the pound of flesh being signed. They are bound together with Antonio’s life being in Shylock hands but then at the end Shylocks life in Antonio’s hands. Futhermore in the casket plot when Portia marrys Basanio she makes him vow never to give his ring away. This is a tight bond but is broken when Bassanio gives it away in appretiation, in the same way as when Antonio broke his promise in having 3000 ducats available to pay back Shylock back in the given time. Another is the sea. Had Antonio’s ships sailed to saftey Shylock would not have been able to demand revenge. The Elizabethan audience would have also enjoyed this familiar sea lore. The link between the law and justice is one that came up often and is explored in depth by Shakespeare. Through the behavior of Shylock towards Antonio, Portia when punishing Shylock and showing no mercy after she asks Shylock to show it, Antonio when insisting Shylock converts to Christianity and the Duke letting events follow the law. We learn the law in Venice is not capable of providing fairness and justice. Finally, the theme of revenge, which appears in two plots in the play. Firstly when Portia and Nerissa trick their husbands then watch them suffer and try to redeem themselves. Secondly Shylock attempts to kill Antonio for all he has done, then Antonio shows mercy but then takes his revenge by making Shylock convert to Christianity. To Shylock this may have been a worse punishment, did he want to live an empty life with no meaning or direction, betraying his own God? This play, Merchant of Venice, was written for an audience and Shakespeare creates suspense extremely well. He does this by switching between plots and locations at vital points in the play. He never spends too much time on one that we forget about the others. For example, in Act 1: Scene 2 we learn that Portia must marry whichever man chooses the right casket. At the end of the scene the arrival of Prince Morroco is announced, but we have to wait whilst Shylock and Antonio agree a bond before we are taken back to learn the outcome. Switching between plots this way is even used today particularly in soap operas. For audience advantage, Shakespeare makes them ahead of the characters, such as in the episode with the rings. On anther occasion the audience do not know something untill the characters themselves see it, as in the choice of the caskets. By varying these techniques, Shakespeare is able to develop dramatic tension and ultimately humour. â€Å"The quality of mercy is not strained.† Or is it? Shylock found it impossible to show mercy but can we blame him? His only daughter deserted him then sold his preciouse ring. The very same one that he had given to the love of his life when he was a bachelor. She left with all his wealth, money and stones to be with a christian. Shylock had lost the closest person to him but also the most important thing to him, his money. He has been spat upon and called names such as â€Å"cut throat dog† all his life, mocked at and laughed at by every other. He should not then be expected to show mercy to the very same people who had caused him all this pain and misery. Afterall mercy was not an aspect of his religion, Judaism, but justice. However in the end his own religion is what let him down. If he had turned, only for a second, from his religion and showed a llittle mercy he would have been able to hold onto his religion and wealth rather than having it stolen away. He was portrayed as a victim from the start and we sympathised with him when we hear the discrimmination he had to put up with. â€Å"†¦ lest the devil cross my prayer, for here he comes in the likness of a Jew.† To an Elizabethan audience Shylock would have only been viewed in the light of a villain and a Jew going through misery would have just added to the humour for the Christians watching. Shakespeare plays to this when he gives Shylock a menacing turn. He tells us how Shylock hates Antonio: â€Å"I hate him for he is a Christian.† But then, in contrast, Shakespeare shows us that in fact, Shylock wants to be Antonio’s friend: â€Å"I would be friends with you and have you love.† Has this been done on purpose? Or has Shakespeare done this too confuse the audience and portray him as a vitim with potential to become a villain? There are no rules to whether Shylock is a victim or a villain, only interpretations. Shakespeare has given Shylock a complex character with mixed emotions that many producers and directors have interpreted for their purposes. In the film version, with Albaccino, Shylock was portrayed as a vulnerable victim who was easily sympathised with. With such an intelligant, crafty play writer who included deeper meanings, no-one will ever truly know if Shakespeare intended Shylock to be a victim or a villian. Maybe this was his intention, you decide whether you sympathise with him because all he has been through or you may think he is a man that has crossed a line with bad intentions. People to this day have acted because of the way they have been treated or how they have been bought up. Remember, Is a villain someone who lends money to help others but then charges interest? Intending to receive a pound of human flesh resulting in certain death if a promise is broken, surely this is somebody who is viewed as a villain. The same man who has experienced prejudice and discrimination all his life only because of his religion, which would be unimaginable in modern day, has this man now turned into a victim? Shakespeare fills your mind with suspicions, theories and questions but only your emotions and thoughts can decide whether Shylock was a victim or a villain. Or maybe he was neither.

Jazz Singer Movie - The First Talkie

Jazz Singer Movie - The First Talkie When The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson,  was released as a feature-length movie on October 6, 1927, it was the first movie that included dialogue and music on the filmstrip itself. Adding Sounds to Film Before The Jazz Singer, there were silent films. Despite their name, these films were not silent for they were accompanied by music. Often, these films were accompanied by a live orchestra in the theater and from as early as 1900, films were often synchronized with musical scores that were played on amplified record players. The technology advanced in the 1920s when Bell Laboratories developed a way to allow an audio track to be placed on the film itself. This technology, called Vitaphone, was first used as a musical track in a film titled Don Juan in 1926. Although Don Juan had music and sound effects, there were no spoken words in the film. Actors Talking on Film When Sam Warner of the Warner Brothers planned The Jazz Singer, he anticipated that the film would use silent periods to tell the story and the Vitaphone technology would be used for the singing of music, just as the new technology had been used in Don Juan. However, during the filming of The Jazz Singer, superstar of the time Al Jolson ad-libbed dialogue in two different scenes and Warner liked the end result. Thus, when The Jazz Singer was released on October 6, 1927,  it became the first feature-length film (89 minutes long) to include dialogue on the filmstrip itself. The Jazz Singer made way for the future of talkies, which is what movies with audio soundtracks were called. So What Did Al Jolson Actually Say? The first words Jolson recites are: â€Å"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!† Jolson spoke 60 words in one scene and 294 words in another The rest of the film is silent, with words written on black, title cards just like in silent movies. The only sound (besides the few words by Jolson) are the songs. The Storyline of the Jazz Singer The Jazz Singer is a movie about Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of a Jewish cantor who wants to be a jazz singer but is pressured by his father to use his God-given voice to sing as a cantor. With five generations of Rabinowitz men as cantors, Jakies father (played by Warner Oland) is adamant that Jakie has no choice in the matter. Jakie, however, has other plans. After being caught singing raggy time songs at a beer garden, Cantor Rabinowitz gives Jakie a belt whipping. Thats the last straw for Jakie; he runs away from home. After setting off on his own, adult Jakie (played by Al Jolson) works hard to become a success in the field of jazz. He meets a girl, Mary Dale (played by May McAvoy), and she helps him improve his act. As Jakie, now known as Jack Robin, becomes increasingly successful, he continues to crave the support and love of his family. His mother (played by Eugenie Besserer) supports him, but his father is disgusted that his son wants to be a jazz singer. The climax of the movie revolves around a dilemma. Jakie must choose between starring in a Broadway show or returning to his deathly ill father and singing Kol Nidre at the synagogue. Both occur on the very same night. As Jakie says in the film (on a title card), Its a choice between giving up the biggest chance of my life and breaking my mothers heart. This dilemma resonated with audiences for the 1920s were full of such decisions. With the older generation holding tight to tradition, the newer generation was rebelling, becoming flappers, listening to jazz, and dancing the Charleston. Ultimately, Jakie couldnt break his mothers heart and so he sang Kol Nidre that night. The Broadway show was canceled. There is a happy ending though we see Jakie starring in his own show just a few months later. Al Jolsons Blackface   In the first of two scenes where Jakie is struggling with his choice, we see Al Jolson applying black makeup all over his face (except for near his lips) and then covering his hair with a wig. Although unacceptable today, the concept of blackface was popular at the time. The movie ends with Jolson again in blackface, singing My Mammy.

DePaul University Admissions and Acceptance Rate

DePaul University Admissions and Acceptance Rate With an acceptance rate of 70%, admission to DePaul University is largely accessible for hard working high school students with solid academic records. DePaul is test-optional, so students are not required to submit scores from the SAT or ACT. Additional application materials include a high school transcript and a completed application form.  Students can apply using the Common Application.​  Interested students should check out the DePaul admissions webpage and are encouraged to visit the campus. Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2016) DePaul University Acceptance Rate: 70%GPA, ACT and SAT graph for DePaulDePaul has test-optional admissionsTop Illinois colleges SAT comparisonBig East SAT comparison chartBig East ACT comparison chartTop Illinois colleges ACT comparison DePaul University Description DePaul Universitys 24,000 students make it the largest Catholic university in the country, and one of the largest private universities. DePaul was founded by the Vincentians in 1898, and the school remains committed to providing educational opportunities for students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds. One in three undergraduates are first-generation college students, and students come from 100 different countries and all 50 states. DePaul takes advantage of its location in Chicago to provide students with hands-on, practical learning experiences. The university has one of the highest rated service-learning programs in the country. It has received awards for excellence in diversity and as one of the best places for women and diverse managers to work. In athletics, the DePaul Blue Demons compete in the NCAA Division I  Big East Conference. Popular sports include soccer, basketball, track and field, and tennis. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 23,110 (15,407 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 47% Male / 53% Female86% Full-time Costs (2016  - 17) Tuition and Fees: $37,626Books: $1,104 (why so much?)Room and Board: $13,387Other Expenses: $2,364Total Cost: $54,481 DePaul University Financial Aid (2015  - 16) Percentage of Students Receiving Aid: 97%Percentage of Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 96%Loans: 59%Average Amount of AidGrants: $19,085Loans: $6,865 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Accounting, Communication Studies, Finance, General Studies, Management Sciences, Marketing, Political Science, PsychologyWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Transfer, Retention and Graduation Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 85%4-Year Graduation Rate: 59%6-Year Graduation Rate: 73% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Track and Field, Cross CountryWomens Sports:  Soccer, Volleyball, Track and Field, Tennis, Softball, Cross Country, Basketball Data Source National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like DePaul, You May Also Like These Schools University of Chicago: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphPurdue University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBoston University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphIndiana University - Bloomington: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Iowa: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDominican University: Profile  Columbia College Chicago: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Illinois at Chicago: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph

Facing it paper assignment1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facing it paper assignment1 - Essay Example The scene of the poem is the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington D.C., which lists the names of the American Army personnel who died in the war. The poem deals with the images of this experience. The poem is autobiographical, being based on his stint in Vietnam. Written in the first person point-of-view, the narrator of â€Å"Facing It† is Yusef. This point of view gives the poem a very intimate tone. The reader is absorbed into the mind of the poet and sees the Memorial through his eyes. The poet’s point-of-view narrative in â€Å"Facing It† expresses his confrontation of his own emotions, shows his empathy for others and explores his search for closure. As Yusef faces the Memorial, he confronts his own emotions and experiences during the Vietnam War. The Memorial is a wall of black, polished stone. The high polish results in the images of viewers being reflected off the names of the dead soldiers which are inscribed on the wall. In effect, Yusef tre ats the polished granite wall as a looking glass reflecting the images of war. By adopting this perspective, Yusef sees himself in the wall. He asserts his African-American identity in the very beginning of the poem: â€Å"My black face fades/hiding inside the black granite† (Yusef, 1 / 2). ... However, to the poet’s frustration, this device of melding with the stone does not guard him against pain of his powerful emotions. However much he tries to hide within the wall, and insulate himself from pain by exerting a rock-like self-control, Yusef has to finally acknowledge that he is a living man, with all the sensitivity of living flesh: â€Å"I’m flesh† Yusef accepts (Yusef, ---5). It is obvious that the poet is moved to tears by the recollection of his war experiences. As he views the wall through tear-filled eyes, it is his â€Å"clouded reflection† (Yusef, ---6--) which stares back at him. Yusef pays his personal homage to the dead by going â€Å"down the 58,022 names† (Yusef, ---14) inscribed on the wall. Andrew Johson is obviously someone he knew in the war. The poet relives the horror of the soldier’s death in â€Å"the booby trap’s white flash† (Yusef, --- 18). Yusef’s mention of â€Å"half-expecting to f ind my own in letters like smoke† conveys to the reader his puzzlement at the arbitrary nature of war. He is alive while 58,022 men died. There is a hint of guilt in this image. This sentiment also makes Yusef particularly sensitive to the pain of those who lost loved ones in the war. Yusef empathizes with the other visitors to the Memorial. He sees â€Å"Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse† (Yusef, 19). Like Yusef, this woman is also there to pay homage to the dead. It is likely that there is a name on that wall which belongs to a loved one with whom she identified in life. But now, â€Å"when she walks away, the names stay on the wall† (Yusef, --- 20 / 21). The dead are irrevocably gone and the woman has to leave her love behind in the dead wall. The separation is final. A white veteran approaches Yusef. The man’s