The Structure Of The Merchant Venice English Literature Essay

The Structure Of The Merchant Venice English Literature Essay The Merchant of Venice is set in 16th century Venice. Venice became a trade centre as it is located on the coast, surrounded by a large mass of water; because of this structure, distribution of goods was easy as it was very accessible to surrounding countries. It is the perfect setting for discrimination towards the Jews to occur as they had to live in a ghetto, separated from Christian kind. Being a Jew, Shylock had very few career choices with the only real option being a money lender. Shylock shows both characteristics of victim and villainy, this is shown many ways during the play when Shylock has been mistreated and is out to get revenge. An example of this would be when shylock is angered by his mistreatment from the Christian Antonio, and then later schemes to get revenge by the formulation of the bond, demanding for a pound of Antonios flesh as a forfeit of the loan. Shylock is often a victimised man in The Merchant of Venice. The Oxford dictionary defines the word victim as someone or something which has been hurt, damaged or killed or has suffered, either because of the actions of someone or something else, or because of illness or chance This is certainly the case with Shylock when the Christians, especially the merchant Antonio treats Shylock cruelly and mercilessly on a daily basis, You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And you spit upon my Jewish gabardine, The words spit and dog show that he is completely disrespected and receives a great amount of abuse which a modern audience would find distasteful and I feel very sympathetic about what Shylock would have gone through. Not only did Shylock get mistreated by Christians, he was also a victim of theft by his own daughter, here catch this casket. Furthermore, when she stole the jewels, Jessica abandoned her own father when she eloped with Lorenzo and then converted her religion to Christianity, showing that Shylock is truly a victim of circumstance. Shylock, a truly broken man feels like a part of him is missing and turns to Tubal who is a very close friend of his. To add insult to injury, Shylock discovers that Jessica traded his most prized possession, a turquoise ring which was a present from his late wife, for a monkey. I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor: I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys. The word wilderness shows that he would not have traded the ring for several thousand monkeys, let alone one monkey. The ring was the only piece of Leah he had left. Although I feel very sympathetic towards Shylock at this point in the story, an Elizabethan audience would find the attitude towards a Jewish man humorous and would laugh at Shylocks despair. I see Shylock as a man with a plea for equality, as he gets treated like an animal, locked up in ghetto where he has to sleep, separated from the Christians and continually being called names on a daily basis. In the bible, Jesus teaches us to treat each other fairly with respect and love; You shall love your neighbour as yourself however the Christians in The Merchant of Venice go against everything their own religions have taught them, making Shylock a victim, a broken man with hardly anything or anyone to turn to. I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs dimensions, senses affections, passions fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons? In this speech Shylock is distraught, I see him as a man who just wants justice and wants all faiths to be equal. In this speech, Shylock asks rhetorical questions repeatedly for emphasis in what he is saying. We see shylock becoming a broken man at the trial scene this becomes evident when they address him as Jew inste ad of his name. Go on, and call the Jew into the court Shylock is being called by his religion as a sign of disrespect. Then once again for being victimised for being a Jew, Shylock suffers from hubris in the court scene when Portia brings his hopes up for succeeding with the bond, she then crashes them back down, resulting in Shylock having to change his religion to Christianity. We see him as a truly broken man, a social outcast in the eyes of the Jews. Although constantly victimised, Shylock also shows a great deal of villainy. The Oxford dictionary defines the word villain as a person who is guilty or capable of a crime or wickedness; a wrongdoer; a character in a novel or play whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot. Shylock is predominately a villain. This is most obvious with the formulation of the bond, Let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me This quotation shows the price which Antonio has to pay if he fails to return the money, I see this as an opportunity for Shylock to be a revenge seeking villain, with the intention to kill Antonio. The word pleaseth shows that Shylock gets to decide which part of the body the flesh comes from, this becomes nearest the heart which shows the hunger he truly has for Antonios flesh. Furthermore, Shylocks mistreatment of Jessica shows that he is an irresponsible and uncaring father. He imprisons her from the world he chose to live in. Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum ..But stop my houses ears-I mean casements. Let not the sound of shallow foppry enter My sober house. Shylock is portrayed as a villain as he orders Jessica about, almost like a slave. The phrase Lock up my doors shows that Shylock has no respect for his own daughter and just commands her to do as he says. In addition, Shylock seems to value his ducats more than the loss of his daughter, O my daughter! Fled with a Christian! Only Christian ducats! Shylock shows that he is a heartless villain when he finds out from Tubal that Antonios ships are lost at see. Shylock and Tubal were discussing the merchants shipwreck from Tripoli and Shylock openly said I thank thee, good Tubal. Good news, good news! Ha, ha! Heard in Genoa? Later in their discussion Tubal tells Shylock of Antonios bankruptcy and again Shylock is delighted as he knows as he can extract the pound of flesh I am very glad of it: Ill plague him Ill torture him: I am glad of it. The words plague and torture show that Shylock is thirsty for Antonios flesh and is showing villainy and greed. Shylocks hunger for Antonios flesh becomes more apparent in the trial scene, Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly? Shylock sharpens his knife to prepare to cut the pound of flesh out of Antonios body. The word earnestly shows he has serious intent on killing Antonio. Shylock has no intention on leaving the court without the pound of flesh, Ill have my bond; speak not against my bond: I have sworn an oath that I will have my bondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ill have my bondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Ill have my bond Shylock repeats the phrase Ill have my bond for emphasis that he is completely confident in receiving a pound of Antonios flesh, which is closest to the heart. Not only did Shylock insist on getting his bond he also refused thrice the sum of money of the original loan. And lawfully by this the Jew may claim A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off Nearest the merchants heart. Be merciful: Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond. Shylock refused mercy, which shows greed, villa iny and that he is a truly evil man, with the intention to kill. Shylock also said that he would not accept ten times oer the amount of money, mainly because he wants the bond instead of the money which shows that evil thought is dominant in his mind. In conclusion Shylock is a villain, evil is dominant in his thought, largely due to his mistreatment by the Christians. Even though he has been mistreated by Christians, it does not justify taking someones life. Shylock gets his retribution at the end of the play when he is forced to convert his religion to Christianity, resulting in him becoming a social outcast, in the eyes of his family, the Jews and the Christians. Shakespeares plays speak to a modern audience, outlining right from wrong. I feel that anti-Semitism and prejudice are big themes in this play, as they speak to the reader regarding these issues as much today as they did in the past.

Helen Keller’s Life Essay

The name of Helen Adams Keller is known around the world as a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, yet she was much more than a symbol. She was a woman of luminous intelligence, high ambition and great accomplishment. She devoted her life to helping others. Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880. When she was only 19 months old, she contracted a fever that left her blind and deaf. When she was almost seven years old, her parents engaged Anne Mansfield Sullivan to be her tutor. With dedication, patience, courage and love, Miss Sullivan was able to evoke and help develop the child’s enormous intelligence. Helen Keller quickly learned to read and write, and began to speak by the age of 10. When she was 20, she entered Radcliffe College, with Miss Sullivan at her side to spell textbooks – letter by letter – into her hand. Four years later, Radcliffe awarded Helen Keller a Bachelor’s degree  magna cum laude. After graduation, Helen Keller began her life’s work of helping blind and deaf-blind people. She appeared before state and national legislatures and international forums, traveled around the world to lecture and to visit areas with a high incidence of blindness, and wrote numerous books and articles. She met every U. S. president from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon Johnson, and played a major role in focusing the world’s attention on the problems of the blind and the need for preventive measures. Miss Keller won numerous honors, including honorary university degrees, the Lions Humanitarian Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and election to the Women’s Hall of Fame. During her lifetime, she was consistently ranked near the top of â€Å"most admired† lists. She died in 1968, leaving a legacy that Helen Keller International is proud to carry on in her name and memory.

Continuing Academic Success Essay

It is a big step for someone who has been out of school for so long, to have the courage to begin the journey of higher education. Personally, it took me several years of contemplating if going back to school was the right move for me. I postponed it until I realized this was the only way I could provide my family with the life I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve came to realize that even though this will be a very challenging 4 years of my life, I will persevere as long as I keep my eyes on the price and stay motivated. There are many components to ensure success in my educational and career endeavors; such as, personal responsibility, use of the resources provided by the University, and have self-awareness. I’m sure to succeed as long as I apply myself and take advantage of the resources that are designed to assist in my academic life, subsequently into my professional life. It takes personal responsibility to succeed in any aspect of your life but it’s especia lly so in your educational path. It is up to you, to abide by the school rules and to complete the course work with integrity. You have to hold yourself accountable for your actions and thrive to be a better person. This is especially true in the online school environment as there’s no set time for class, it is up to the student to make time for class work as well as setting up study time. Time-management is an essential tool which will help make a student’s school experience a productive one because you will have time to digest the information being provided to you instead of rushing to get the work done just for the sake of getting it done. Making a schedule and abiding to it is your personal choice and if you want to succeed, you will have to master the skill of time-management and ask for your support systems help when needed. To succeed in school you need to have academic integrity. Academic integrity has a big influence in your academic success  as plagiarism has drastic consequences and can result in expulsion. Academic integrity shows your knowledge of the topic at hand, which is the goal in higher education. To understand some complex topics you might need more time and you need to schedule study time accordingly. Having strong personal responsibility is part of your everyday life as a student and it’s vital to academic success. Setting goals is a good way to stay motivated and work for a specific result within a certain amount of time. Having goals will help you map out the path you will be taking and the steps on how to get there. For effective goal setting, think of the things and/or experiences you want to have by a specific year or age. â€Å"Goal setting requires assessment and problem-solving skills as well as application and organization.† (Rader, 2005). As stated by Rader, goal-setting requires a lot of different skills and it is important to master them to achieve success in life. What has held me from returning was the college-level writing and the huge amount of research I will have to do. By the time I earn my Bachelor’s Degree, I want to be comfortable with the writing process and have confidence in my researching skills. This is one of the reasons I went bac k to school, for ones and for all get rid of the anxiety and fear of writing college-level papers. Setting goals in all aspects of your life will assist in keeping you accountable of your own actions. For example, once I’ve earned my degree I want to work for a hotel, in a large hotel chain, where I could be a part of the management team, preferably in the customer relations, customer service, or event planning departments. Another key tool for academic success is self-awareness. Periodically is it beneficial to do some self-exploration and get in touch with your basic ethical values. In essence every decision we make is made from a set of ethics we follow. A set of strong ethics is valuable in both your personal and professional life. I live by a set codes that keep me honest, fair and accountable of my own actions. Having a strong set of ethics prepares you with the tools you need to be a critical thinker and make proper decisions. Being aware of how you learn best is important as you want to use your time effectively and use platforms in which you know you will retain the information better. It is important to be able to reflect on our life and find ways of fixing what i s not working effective. Learning is not just academic but also personal. Critical thinking is one of the main objectives in higher education. A critical thinker analyzes all  options and makes an argument based on facts. To be a critical thinker you have to be able to look at different points of view openly and explore them as possibilities. You also have to able to think logically and analyze the information and find evidence to back it up. When all information is collected and analyzed, a critical thinker could create an argument with confidence. To become a better critical thinker I will work on mastering Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy of learning which states that for maximize learning we need to master this 6 levels of thinking: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. When I’m studying and going through course work I will keep this 3 levels in mind and will practice each level. The goal is to think all the way to level 6 which is creating an idea from the information learned. Mastering critical thinking will make the writing process easier and less chaotic. â€Å"The writing process is how you show your understanding of the course information and form your own opinion and are able to find supporting research for your ideas†(Kellogg, 2007). Personally the writing process is very intimidating and has stopped me for reaching my full potentials. Doing research here will give me a piece of mind that the information found here is factual and correct. Research papers will be a bit easier. Writing is the preferred communication by educational institution and the professional world. It is important when writing to be aware of grammar mistakes and also plagiarism. Being able to write a cohesive paper or extended text will take you further and is necessary for your academic success. University of Phoenix wants their students to success and has made available amazing resources to ensure that students are well equipped with the tools that will help them move forward towards their goals. The University Library will be the most useful tool for when doing research. Doing research here will give me a piece of mind that the information found is factual and correct. Research papers will be a bit easier to write. The Center of Writing Exc ellence has everything you need to be able to perfect your writing skills which will make the writing process simpler. The Life Resource Center is helpful when you have personal issues you need to work on from time-management to career and life coaching.When I need to focus on my future after school I could rely on the Phoenix Career Service where I could research job markets and also set up a career plan. Taking advantage of these all the resources the University has  to offer will ensure I don’t feel alone in this journey. It takes your full commitment to achieve continuing academic success. It’s a challenging adventure but a well worth one. The benefits of being able to become a life learner will open up your mind and it will provide a sense of drive. We are in charge of our own future and it important to try to achieve excellence. No one is responsible for my well-being but I, and I will do everything possible to succeed. References Lasley, T. (2010). Bloom’s taxonomy. In T. Hunt, J. Carper, T. Lasley, & C. Raisch (Eds.), Encyclopedia of educational reform and dissent. (pp. 107-110). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/10.4135/9781412957403.n5 Rader, L. A. (2005). Goal Setting for Students and Teachers: Six steps to success. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196863407?accuntid=458 References Kellogg, R. T., & Raulerson, Bascom A., I.,II. (2007). Improving the writing skills of college students. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (Pre-2011), 14(2), 237-42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204931203?accountid=458 Lasley, T. (2010). Bloom’s taxonomy. In T. Hunt, J. Carper, T. Lasley, & C. Raisch (Eds.), Encyclopedia of educational reform and dissent. (pp. 107-110). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/10.4135/9781412957403.n5 Rader, L. A. (2005). Goal Setting for Students and Teachers: Six steps to success. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196863407?accuntid=458

Art Values Essay - 639 Words

People from all eras have communicated what they value through art, architecture and style. This statement is obvious. The first example I will discuss is that of the ancient Egyptian society. Their society was one that was based upon death. Everything in their lives revolved around preparing themselves for the afterlife. Included in that is their paintings; they contained the entire figure of the human, making sure their was no limb left unseen, for fear that it would not be their in the after life. Another example of how the ancient Egyptian’s values were expressed through art was the lavish funerary complexes built for their pharaohs. They were monstrous, and intended entirely to help propel the deceased pharaoh into the next life.†¦show more content†¦They also believed in realism instead of idealism. They portrayed their art the way it looked, rather than the way it should. For architecture, they loved circles, or at least round ideas. They were the inventors of the arch. As such they were able to create beautiful buildings, line the Pantheon in Rome (not the Parthenon on the acr opolis). By illustrating the real instead of the ideal, they were able to create magnificent war scenes, which is what their culture was driven by; war. Next, the medieval period of art as relates to the values of society, shown in art. This was a society built upon its religion, specifically Christianity. They built gigantic houses of worship (churches) which were and are magnificent. They were so large that they had to have flying buttresses (an arch at the side) just to hold them up. This was also a period of extremely evangelistic painting. Most paintings were religion driven, usually of Christ or Mary, in some fashion! Now unlike the Romans, this was a not a period of high realism. Most of the paintings were in some way abstract or unrealistic. For example the painting of the HUGE baby (Christ) and his mother with the rather long neck. 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