Italian opera of the 19th century was deeply rooted in national life. Italy was unified under Victor Emmanuel II in 1859-61, and verismo was the popular form of composing operas at this time. Verismo, or realism, is a phase of naturalism in literature and music characterized by projection on stage of fierce passions, violence, and death. Operas of the verismo style paint a picture of everyday people that were mainly from the middle class, doing extraordinary things. An example of this is Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which is set in the contemporary world, and deals with an American sailor and his Japanese bride. The opera challenges the superficially "exotic" world of Japan that it inhabits, and ends with a geisha girl committing suicide on stage. In Madama Butterfly, Puccini blends the musical styles from Italy, Japan, and America to create an opera for all.
While opera was and has been rooted in its own nationality, composers started to include the ideas of exoticism in their writing. At this time, Japan had closed themselves off from other lands for about 300 years. When they opened up, westerners were curious about the Japanese culture and vise versa. Rudolf Dittrich was a teacher of western music at the Tokyo School of Music, Puccini quotes Dittrich’s music many times throughout Madama Butterfly in order to create a hybrid of Westernized Japanese style . Puccini uses this hybrid style instead of authentic Japanese melodies in order to accentuate the drama of Butterfly’s
The Movie steel of Magnolias is about six women that come together in this hilarious and heartwarming story of life, love and loss in a small Louisiana parish. At the center of the group is Shelby Eatenton, newly married and joyfully pregnant, despite the fact that her diabetes could make childbirth life-threatening. Terrified and angry at the possibility of losing her only daughter, M'Lynn Eatenton looks to her four closest friends for strength and laughter as she battles her deepest fear of death in order to join Shelby in celebrating the miracle of new life.
“Since socialization occurs throughout the life span and since the mass media in industrial society permeates virtually every aspect of a person’s life, the media’s effect on our concepts of self, although impossible to determine precisely, are probably underestimated” (Saucier 1986, 147). Mass media forms of entertainment have the unique ability to impact large audiences across time and space. The Hollywood thriller Fatal Attraction (1987), with its many references to Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly (1903), proves to be a central film to study when considering how intertextual value may arise from referencing another text through a piece of media as well as what ideology can result from a popular media product. In considering the
Lee implies that people learn lessons through life experiences that school can ever teach. Throughout this novel, Atticus taught his kids many lessons that was hard for them to hear at times, but it later on helped them in the story. Or it helped them grow up and mature. On page 40 of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus was explaining to Scout that Miss.Caroline was new and didn’t know anyone, and she especially didn’t know the Cunningham’s story, Atticus states, “Atticus said… but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part” (40). This quote by Atticus is meant to explain to Scout that Miss. Caroline just made an honest human mistake. He tried to get Scout to realize that if he put herself in Miss.Caroline’s shoes then she might better understand the confusion. Obviously you can’t really be in her shoes, but he said it figuratively to show her why it was important to give her another chance, or at least try to be nice and listen. Atticus taught this to Scout at home later on that night. At her school after that she tried to just get by in her class. Lee also shows mainly throughout that the school system doesn’t help when it comes to teaching children life lessons. As shown in the earlier quote Atticus, had told Scout to jump in Walter’s shoes, and walk around in it. This other quote shows how Scout actually takes into consideration of Atticus’ words, and chooses to not bother Jem because she tried to imagine what it had
Their hands were covered with slimy blood and the lamb slipped free. It crawled off into the underbrush... After some time had passed, Miss Lonelyhearts begged them to go back and put the lamb out of misery. They refused to go. He went back alone and found it under a bush. He crushed its head with a stone and left the carcass to the flies that swarmed around the bloody alter flowers." (23-24)
The intriguing novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is written by the prestigious author Harper Lee. Lee has utilised the lifestyle and attitudes towards African-Americans" in the 1930's to create a novel which presents the reader with Lee's attitudes and values. The dominant reading of the novel is focused on the issues of racial prejudice, but there are also a number of other alternative and oppositional readings. Examples of this are the Marxist and feminist readings which can be applied to the text.
As Stephen King once said, “The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.” In the book "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee, Jean Louise Finch, a young girl who also goes by Scout, experiences many things such as racism, friends, and family. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who is sacrificing his reputation to defend a black man, Tom Robinson. Scout and her friends take it upon themselves to uncover the mystery of Boo Radley. In this book the mockingbirds represent innocence. Many characters take on the role of the “mockingbird". Exploring Lee’s title, to kill a mockingbird is to kill innocence.
The ambition of oneself to pursue justice and righteousness may result in prosecution. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, and movie "A Time to Kill" by Joel Schumacher, each demonstrate one’s open-mindedness and forward thinking leads to penalization through protagonists Atticus Finch and Jake Brigance. Both egalitarians take the position as an attorney for an African American and are prosecuted in the process.
In this world, there are two sides to everything. Whether it may be a message, a film or a novel, each platform of literature has two different windows. The first being the depiction of the author and the second being the interpretation of the audience. This concept is evident within both works this essay seeks to explore. In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest, a charismatic criminal, Randle P. McMurphy is admitted to a state asylum due to his will of serving out of prison sentence in a mental hospital rather than the penitentiary. McMurphy brings in the outside world to the admitted patients after being legally declared insane through a condensed interview with a psychiatrist. He symbolizes freedom, life and the power of an
The characterization in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest movie was and novel was the correlation of Ken Kesey describing one of the Protagonists Chief Bromden as being this huge Indian in the movie and novel. “If my being half-Indian had ever helped me in any way in this dirty life, it helped me being cagey, helped me all of these years.” In the novel in Cuckoo’s Nest, the black boys described Chief Bromden as being “big enough to eat apples off of my head, and making me like a baby.” (Kesey 1) However, the movie doesn’t have the particular version and statement that the book shows and talks about. This shows and supports that Chief Bromden is this huge Indian identified in the book and shown in the movie. To help the characters institution
Attention to Nicholas Carr and his argument about technology it’s destroying our brains and affecting the world, the new generation and everyone. In recent discussions of the shallows, a controversial issue has been whether the internet is truly affecting us or not. On the other hand, however, others argue that the internet is making them more creative and some say it’s making them smarter. The best point in view on this issue, is reflected by Nicholas Carr in his book The Shallows when he writes, “ The price we pay to assume technology’s power is alienation.” ( Carr,211). This insightful perspective demonstrates the truth of the matter; the price we pay to spend our day on the internet or using any other technology is alienation. That means
Including everything from a hero with a secret identity, to a dying passion “The Scarlet Pimpernel” written by Emmuska Orczy, is a classic that doesn’t bore you to death. “The Scarlet Pimpernel” is the first novel in a series of historical fiction, written by Emmuska Orczy. First published in 1905 it proved popular with its English audience, unlike its several sequels. No matter what genre you prefer I’m sure anyone would enjoy this piece of work. It’s difficult not to get hooked on the first line: surging, seething, murmuring crowd, of beings that are only human in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.
After Hester is released from prison Hawthorne leaves us wondering if her choice to stay in Boston was even a choice she could make. Chapter five opens with Hester coming into the light and leaving the cell in which she had been punished in for so long. However, once she is out, she decides to stay in Massachusetts, in the same community which has shamed her for so long. Hawthorne describes the decision when he writes, “it may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home… But there is a fatality… which almost invariably compels human beings to linger … the spot where some great and marked event has given the color to their lifetime” (71). In this quote Hawthorne is not only speaking of Hester, he is speaking of
These forms of entertainment consist of everything from the arts to sporting events. The Italians dominated the arts in both Europe and America. The Italian language itself has been known as the language of music for centuries since all musical terms are written in the Italian language. When Italians immigrated to the United States, they brought along with them their love and talent for the arts. This naturally included the opera, which has been widely associated with a popular outing for people of the upper class. Yet, the opera doesn’t have to be viewed in this way, for the opera is for everybody and tells stories through music. In fact, famous plays and songs are turned opera including that of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Art is another thing that comes with the Italian heritage, and Florence is regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance and the resurgence of art. It was these works of the time that inspired many other Americans of Italian descent to create their own artwork such as Ralph Fasanella. Many musicians are regarding as being Italian. One musician, Frank Sinatra, has been known for his music career and is widely regarded as a popular musician. However, according to sources Sinatra has been viewed as a mafia member by many people who were prejudice towards the Italian race. This ethnic prejudice can largely be associated with the novel and film The Godfather. The 1969
The Italian renaissance was a period of creative explosion. The term renaissance symbolizes rebirth, which is exactly what occurred in Italy during this time. An entire culture was remade through art. There was a resounding interest in the classics created by ancient artists. The humanist movement encouraged the study of humanity’s history in order to create a deeper understanding of how to move forward as a society. There was a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge and creation. Many new art forms developed in this period, including opera. The Florentine Camerata, a group of scholars, created early forms of opera. Claudio Monteverdi, a renaissance composer, developed opera into the art form that is still performed today. The work of the Florentine Camerata and Claudio Monteverdi worked in harmony to create and develop this new form of music. Monteverdi’s educational background, his rebellious drive to create, his serendipitous career, and his unequaled talent allowed him to develop opera into an art form that no other composer of the time could have produced.
The story, in the eyes of two innocent children Scout and her brother Jem, of the discrimination and hypocrisy throughout the town. Maycomb County, Alabama, faces an African American’s injustice while the children learn valuable lessons from their father, Atticus and their housemaid Calpurnia, during the Great Depression. All the while, we are learning from it. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches us the lessons of morale, justice and equality.