The Life of William Shakespeare
This essay will look at the life of William Shakespeare as presented within a Concept but in explained in more detail. William Shakespeare, was born on St. George's Day, that is, 23rd of April, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England and died in 1616. He was the son of Mary Arden who was the daughter of a wealthy landowner. Mary Arden died in 1608 and was married to John Shakespeare who was a glove maker and local politician that was elected into civial positions in the community between 1557 and 1570. William Shakespeare had several siblings including three brothers and four sisters. His oldest sibling is his sister Joan who was born in 1558 and died from plague and he also had another sister name Joan as well who was born in 1569 and died in 1646. He was the second eldest of the Shakespeare's children. His immediate younger brother's name was Gilbert who was born in 1566 and died in 1616 which was the same year as William Shakespeare. His other sisters' names were Margaret who was born in 1562 and subsequently dying in 1563 which was only a year after her brith and Anne who was born in 1571 and died in 1579. William Shakespeare attended the Stratford Grammer School also known as the King's new school, between the ages of 6 to 13. He enjoyed learning English and reading storied written by Latin authors while learning Rhetoric, Logic, History and Latin. As a child Shakespeare worked for a butcher. In 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathway, who was an orphan as a youth, while she was pregnant with their first child whose name was Susanna and born subsequently born in 1583. The couple also had twins, Hamnet and Judith, who were born in 1585 and died in 1596. The years 1578 to 1582 were considered "Lost Years" since Shakespearespent them acquiring skills as an actor and playwright. Between 1582 and 1592, he moved to London and began working in theatre while not only bieng a member but also part owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men who were later called the King's Men. In 1599, Globe Theater was built by L.C.M of which Shakespeare was the primary investor. William Shakespeare established a career out of acting and writing playwrights especially that of Hamlet which assisted him in acummulating much wealth in 1602. In 1613, Globe Theater was destroyed by fire during the showcasing of one of Shakespeare's plays. WilliaM Shakespeare has made 38 plays inclusive of fourteen comedies, ten histories, ten tragedies and four romances. It is believed that he may have possibly written three others and collaborated in the making of several other plays. He also wrote two major poems called "Venus and Adonis" and "Rape of Lucrece" along with 154 sonnets and numerous other poems. Williams Shakespeare did not write Old English nor did he write middle English but rather in "Early Modern English". Shakespeare coined many words which are still bieng used within society today such as "Critical","Majestic" and "Dwindle" and a few phrases such as "One fell swoop", "Flesh and Blood" and "Vanish into thin air". Shakespeare's language consisted of a mixture between the old and the new so that it was understandable by even the lowest of peasants and highest of nobles. Theatrical Conventions, a suspension of reality, of Shakespeare's Theatre consisted of no electricity, no women since they were forbidden to act on stage and minimal contemporary costumes along with minimal scenery since these control dialouge. Also, present within the Threatrical Conventions of Shakespeare's Theatre were Soliloquy and Aside which are types of speech along with Blood and Gore and the Supernatural because it is assumed that the Audience loves to scared. Finally, there is also use of disguise in order to created a mistaken identity with the last speaker bieng highest in rank within the tragedies, multiple murders in tragedies and multiple marriages in comedies.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Clear light of day- Significance of Baba
The Significance of Baba
Baba, like the major characters of the Clear Light of Day plays a vital role although he is speech impaired due to his mental disability. Baba's mental capacity is not equivalent to that of his age. His character symbolises or reflects Old Deli- " Old Delhi dies, not changes. It only decays." because he does not speak verbally but instead through his actions. This can be seen through his attraction to the "gramophone" and "marbles". Baba can be considered to have ousted Tara out of her position of bieng the youngest in the Family. He was also the reason why Mrs. Das sought for the help of Aunt Mira who aided in his development by playing games and practiciing his speech along with his cognition of his surroundings. Aunt Mira helped Baba to relate his needs to his family members which created their acceptance of disabled individuals and Bim, his older sister loved him dearly while taking it upon herself to care for him daily as they grew older. Baba was seen as equal within his siblings' eyes since they never treated him as if were different and they tried to encourage him to break through his barrier of which he was mentally incapable of doing. For example, his siblings encouraged him to go to work in their offices of which he was suppose to assume the position left for Raja upon the death of Mr. Das. Finally, Baba's view on life remained stagnant as was Old Delhi while his siblings' lives were continously changing like New Delhi.
Baba, like the major characters of the Clear Light of Day plays a vital role although he is speech impaired due to his mental disability. Baba's mental capacity is not equivalent to that of his age. His character symbolises or reflects Old Deli- " Old Delhi dies, not changes. It only decays." because he does not speak verbally but instead through his actions. This can be seen through his attraction to the "gramophone" and "marbles". Baba can be considered to have ousted Tara out of her position of bieng the youngest in the Family. He was also the reason why Mrs. Das sought for the help of Aunt Mira who aided in his development by playing games and practiciing his speech along with his cognition of his surroundings. Aunt Mira helped Baba to relate his needs to his family members which created their acceptance of disabled individuals and Bim, his older sister loved him dearly while taking it upon herself to care for him daily as they grew older. Baba was seen as equal within his siblings' eyes since they never treated him as if were different and they tried to encourage him to break through his barrier of which he was mentally incapable of doing. For example, his siblings encouraged him to go to work in their offices of which he was suppose to assume the position left for Raja upon the death of Mr. Das. Finally, Baba's view on life remained stagnant as was Old Delhi while his siblings' lives were continously changing like New Delhi.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Clear light of day- Role of Aunt Mira (Corrected Version)
Aunt Mira plays a crucial role in the children's upbringing. Yet, as the children grow older, all but Bim leave her and don't return until her death. Describe the importance of Aunt Mira's presence as the children were growing up. What did she provide for them? What did they, in turn, provide for her? How did this contribute to her downfall?
Aunt Mira who was the cousin of Mrs. Das became the care-taker of Baba when his dysfunctional mental state was discovered since he now became an unbearable burden. Aunt Mira's in presence within the children's lives could be considered important since she not only cared for and developed Baba but also supervised the Das's older children, that is, Raja, Bimla and Tara. Aunt Mira upon her arrival easily assumed the role of "Mother" within the children's lives since their own mother was disconnected with responsibility of being a Mother to her children and eventually became ill. Hence, they were not disturbed upon the passing of their mother and eventually their emotionally absentee Father.
Aunt Mira provided for the children a stable home despite the confusion which was taking place especially in Tara's life. Tara felt left out when her older siblings excluded her, and whenever she was troubled, she clung to Aunt Mira for comfort. In school, Tara was constantly in the shadow of her sister. Also, Aunt Mira gave Baba this game of pebbles as a child, and he played with them so often that they have grown smooth with wear. The game became one of Baba's two fixations in life, and he played the game even into adulthood. The pebble game was a gift from Aunt Mira to Baba when he was a young child. It was with these pebbles that she was able to improve Baba's condition by teaching Baba to grab and throw which is considered a major accomplishment for the
child whose development had been so severely stunted. However, instead of outgrowing the game, Baba continues to play it, even as an adult because he is able to obtain comfort and also is able to communicate with his siblings. Aunt Mira was able to provide a "safe haven" for the children even taking their health in consideration. She was able to convince Mrs.Das to purchase a cow since she revealed the milk man's scheme in diluting the milk with water. Aunt Mira cared for all the children while treating none better than the other as she catered for their individual needs. She cared for Raja during his illness, Tara during her disparity which influenced her into wanting to be a mother rather than a hero or heroine like her brother and sister. She aided Bim into becoming a strong independent woman.
They provided her with love which created stability within her mind since she came from a home which lacked that. The DAS Children were able to provide Aunt Mira with Peace of Mind and Respect. Aunt Mira's position was of grave importance since she was disciplining the children and was able to assume authority since they requested her permission before acting on their feelings which showed they considered her their parent while valuing her thoughts and opinions.
Aunt Mira's interaction with the children could have led to her downfall since when Bim was left in charge of the household after the death of their parents and when Aunt Mira and Raja fell ill, Tara reacted by
running away. Aunt Mira probably felt that she was cursed with death since every aspect associated with her seemed to have died causing her spirit to die. She also seemed to have been an alcoholic before moving in with the Das family and resumed drinking upon the death of the cow and the children's parents. Aunt Mira probably felt she could no longer handle that sort of responsibility alone since she was not financially secure. Tara leave could have also influenced Aunt Mira's downfall because they were very close.
In conclusion, Aunt Mira played a crucial role within the novel Clear Light of Day in the lives of the Das's Children since she provided a stable and loving home which aided in their success in life.
Aunt Mira who was the cousin of Mrs. Das became the care-taker of Baba when his dysfunctional mental state was discovered since he now became an unbearable burden. Aunt Mira's in presence within the children's lives could be considered important since she not only cared for and developed Baba but also supervised the Das's older children, that is, Raja, Bimla and Tara. Aunt Mira upon her arrival easily assumed the role of "Mother" within the children's lives since their own mother was disconnected with responsibility of being a Mother to her children and eventually became ill. Hence, they were not disturbed upon the passing of their mother and eventually their emotionally absentee Father.
Aunt Mira provided for the children a stable home despite the confusion which was taking place especially in Tara's life. Tara felt left out when her older siblings excluded her, and whenever she was troubled, she clung to Aunt Mira for comfort. In school, Tara was constantly in the shadow of her sister. Also, Aunt Mira gave Baba this game of pebbles as a child, and he played with them so often that they have grown smooth with wear. The game became one of Baba's two fixations in life, and he played the game even into adulthood. The pebble game was a gift from Aunt Mira to Baba when he was a young child. It was with these pebbles that she was able to improve Baba's condition by teaching Baba to grab and throw which is considered a major accomplishment for the
child whose development had been so severely stunted. However, instead of outgrowing the game, Baba continues to play it, even as an adult because he is able to obtain comfort and also is able to communicate with his siblings. Aunt Mira was able to provide a "safe haven" for the children even taking their health in consideration. She was able to convince Mrs.Das to purchase a cow since she revealed the milk man's scheme in diluting the milk with water. Aunt Mira cared for all the children while treating none better than the other as she catered for their individual needs. She cared for Raja during his illness, Tara during her disparity which influenced her into wanting to be a mother rather than a hero or heroine like her brother and sister. She aided Bim into becoming a strong independent woman.
They provided her with love which created stability within her mind since she came from a home which lacked that. The DAS Children were able to provide Aunt Mira with Peace of Mind and Respect. Aunt Mira's position was of grave importance since she was disciplining the children and was able to assume authority since they requested her permission before acting on their feelings which showed they considered her their parent while valuing her thoughts and opinions.
Aunt Mira's interaction with the children could have led to her downfall since when Bim was left in charge of the household after the death of their parents and when Aunt Mira and Raja fell ill, Tara reacted by
running away. Aunt Mira probably felt that she was cursed with death since every aspect associated with her seemed to have died causing her spirit to die. She also seemed to have been an alcoholic before moving in with the Das family and resumed drinking upon the death of the cow and the children's parents. Aunt Mira probably felt she could no longer handle that sort of responsibility alone since she was not financially secure. Tara leave could have also influenced Aunt Mira's downfall because they were very close.
In conclusion, Aunt Mira played a crucial role within the novel Clear Light of Day in the lives of the Das's Children since she provided a stable and loving home which aided in their success in life.
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