The basic definition of efficiency during the first and second Industrial Revolutions was less input, more output. This essentially means that finding an efficient way to go about something or handle a problem means to come up with a solution that involves less effort while, at the same time, allows more production. In concept, efficiency is seemingly the right way to solve a problem, but in reality, it only created a dangerous atmosphere for factory workers. Despite the fact that this so called efficiency decreased the amount of time spent on one item to be produced, it increased health and economic issues within the working class. People of all types within the proletariat were forced to work in factories; children and women were not excluded. Children had to work starting at the age of five. At such a young age, these children were required to work thirteen hours a day, in an environment where the air was polluted and there were major dangers throughout their paths. Some children nine, ten and eleven years old were forced to work for fourteen or fifteen hours a day.
The effects of these working conditions on the proletariat included stunted growth, relaxed muscles, slender conformation, and in some cases, complete loss of appetite. Although the newly found “efficient” solutions to underproduction made a profound difference in society, they ruined the lives of those working in the factories. And, without the factory workers’ health, they would soon become too weak to work and eventually die. If this had continued much longer, efficiency would have failed, nonetheless.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Frame Story?
A frame story is a secondary story embedded within the main story. One prime example of a modern frame story would be The Princess Bride. In The Princess Bride, a grandfather is reading a book, titled The Princess Bride to his sick grandson, in order to comfort him and get his mind off of his sickness. The Princess Bride is a fictional story, written by a nonexistent author, S. Morgenstern. Starting off, the movie takes place in a young boy’s room, and the only characters introduced at first are the boy and his grandfather. Quickly after their introduction into the movie, the grandfather begins to read his grandson a story, which brings in a good amount more characters that eventually become the main characters. The plot of the film, The Princess Bride, is shown through the story as it is being read. The story, itself, has been passed from father to son for generations. It is a tale of adventure and love, and how the two coincide with each other. The purpose of the film is to get such ideas across to the viewer, but it is presented in a way that can be understood by those of nearly all age groups. Though the grandson and grandfather are the first to be introduced, their parts in the film become insignificant when referring to the plot.
Is It An Epic?
An epic is a long narrative poem in elevated style, presenting characters of high position in a series of adventures which form an organic whole through their relation to a central figure of heroic proportions and through their development of episodes important to the history of a nation or race (Downes 1). Lord of the Rings is an example of a movie using epic qualities. Lord of the Ring was filmed in New Zealand, but was transformed into what, in the movie, is referred to as Middle Earth. The aesthetic features of the setting range vastly throughout the movie. The hero in Lord of the Rings, Frodo, would not typically be classified as one of heroic stature, neither physically nor metaphorically. He is from The Shire, which is a land inhabited by hobbits. Hobbits are short, stocky beings of low rank in comparison to the majority of people in the movie. Despite his lack of heroic stature, Frodo leads a group of people on a journey to destroy a ring, created to instill immense power in whoever possesses it. The group is called the Fellowship of the Ring, compiled of various beings such as hobbits, elves, warlocks, dwarves and men (humans). Their motive behind their expedition to destroy the ring is the fact that the ring drives the possessor to use the induced feeling of power for evil, because absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Frodo volunteering to lead such a journey shows that he is extremely brave. With his companions beside him, the combination of valor and supernatural forces is seemingly unstoppable. The characters in Lord of the Rings speak in a British accent, which is considered to be “elevated style.” The ring is not brought to Mordor to be destroyed until the last movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and when it is, Tolkien recounts on the objective of the voyage of the Fellowship of the Ring and the deeds of the heroes. Thus, Lord of the Rings is a perfect example of a movie using qualities of an epic.
Frodo volunteering to lead such a journey shows that he is extremely brave. With his companions beside him, the combination of valor and supernatural forces is seemingly unstoppable. The characters in Lord of the Rings speak in a British accent, which is considered to be “elevated style.” The ring is not brought to Mordor to be destroyed until the last movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and when it is, Tolkien recounts on the objective of the voyage of the Fellowship of the Ring and the deeds of the heroes. Thus, Lord of the Rings is a perfect example of a movie using qualities of an epic.
Modern Macbeth
In my modern-day version of Macbeth, the setting would be in Pallet Town. Duncan is the top Pokémon trainer in the world, and he rules over all of the Pokémon. They used to run wild and free until Duncan decided that he was higher on the food chain than them and took over the land. He uses them for competition against other trainers around the world. The Pokémon are desperate to regain their freedom, and they’re willing to do anything and everything in their power to do so. One ambitious squirtle, known as Lady Macbeth, wants her freedom more than any of the other Pokémon, but she doesn’t just want her freedom. She craves power. But the fact that she’s a female Pokémon makes it to where she has no say in anything. So, she contemplates every possible way of gaining power over the land, and the conclusion to which she comes in her head is to gain it through her rad boyfriend, Macbeth, who just so happens to be a Pikachu. Pikachus are loved all across Pallet Town, because there are very few of them in that area of the world. So what they say is usually taken into account more so than that of others. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan and scheme for days on how to take the place of Duncan as ruler of Pallet Town. Their final plan is to kill Duncan. Macbeth, at first, is squeamish about the mere idea of murdering him, so Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s masculinity.
After she finally persuades him to kill Duncan, they have to make the plan full-proof. So, they invite Duncan to their house to help them practice their attacks for the next tournament. While Macbeth is practicing with him, Lady Macbeth distracts Duncan, and Macbeth strikes him with a quick attack and then finishes him off with a thunder bolt. Once he realizes what he has done, he isolates himself for a couple of days in order to cope with the reality of what he had done. After his seclusion, he kills again in to lessen the extremity of the first murder. So, Macbeth becomes king over the Pokémon, and he becomes corrupt. He eventually evolves into a Riachu and rules by tyranny. His becoming king had ended any possibility of the Pokémon regaining their freedom. Once Macbeth has been corrupted, he is essentially unstoppable. The amount of power instilled in him has ruined him for good. He even ends up killing his best friend, Banquo the charmander, simply because he knew about everything that had been going on and all of the murders that Macbeth had committed. Macbeth didn’t want anybody but his wife and himself to be privy to that sort of information. Things that would have, at one point in time, shattered him, had no effect on him whatsoever; he murders the family of Macduff, the bulbasaur, because he had fled to Lavender City. Macduff, though, keeps his cool for the type of situation and dealt with it like an honorable Pokémon would deal with it. He deals with his emotions first, and then goes to Macbeth to take revenge. Macbeth had been avoiding Macduff because he was the only person that struck any fear in him. There was an epic battle between the two, but Macduff ended up taking Macbeth out with a vine whip and a razor wind. This just shows you that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I chose to set Macbeth as a Pokémon story because I grew up watching Pokémon, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and still do enjoy it, as a matter of fact. So, I believe something like this would even catch the eyes of young children and get them to be more appreciative of Shakespeare’s work through a more simplified version. I used Pikachu for Macbeth because Pikachu was the main Pokémon in the show, and Macbeth was the main character in the play. Lady Macbeth was a squirtle because if a Pikachu and a squirtle were to be in a relationship, it’d be highly dysfunctional. If they were to get into fights, their tactics would be irrational, as Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s tactics were. The electric charge along with water would wind up killing the two. Macduff was a bulbasaur because bulbasaur is a chill Pokémon, but when he needs to handle a situation or battle, he does so in an extremely intense manner.
After she finally persuades him to kill Duncan, they have to make the plan full-proof. So, they invite Duncan to their house to help them practice their attacks for the next tournament. While Macbeth is practicing with him, Lady Macbeth distracts Duncan, and Macbeth strikes him with a quick attack and then finishes him off with a thunder bolt. Once he realizes what he has done, he isolates himself for a couple of days in order to cope with the reality of what he had done. After his seclusion, he kills again in to lessen the extremity of the first murder. So, Macbeth becomes king over the Pokémon, and he becomes corrupt. He eventually evolves into a Riachu and rules by tyranny. His becoming king had ended any possibility of the Pokémon regaining their freedom. Once Macbeth has been corrupted, he is essentially unstoppable. The amount of power instilled in him has ruined him for good. He even ends up killing his best friend, Banquo the charmander, simply because he knew about everything that had been going on and all of the murders that Macbeth had committed. Macbeth didn’t want anybody but his wife and himself to be privy to that sort of information. Things that would have, at one point in time, shattered him, had no effect on him whatsoever; he murders the family of Macduff, the bulbasaur, because he had fled to Lavender City. Macduff, though, keeps his cool for the type of situation and dealt with it like an honorable Pokémon would deal with it. He deals with his emotions first, and then goes to Macbeth to take revenge. Macbeth had been avoiding Macduff because he was the only person that struck any fear in him. There was an epic battle between the two, but Macduff ended up taking Macbeth out with a vine whip and a razor wind. This just shows you that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I chose to set Macbeth as a Pokémon story because I grew up watching Pokémon, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and still do enjoy it, as a matter of fact. So, I believe something like this would even catch the eyes of young children and get them to be more appreciative of Shakespeare’s work through a more simplified version. I used Pikachu for Macbeth because Pikachu was the main Pokémon in the show, and Macbeth was the main character in the play. Lady Macbeth was a squirtle because if a Pikachu and a squirtle were to be in a relationship, it’d be highly dysfunctional. If they were to get into fights, their tactics would be irrational, as Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s tactics were. The electric charge along with water would wind up killing the two. Macduff was a bulbasaur because bulbasaur is a chill Pokémon, but when he needs to handle a situation or battle, he does so in an extremely intense manner.
Political and Religious Factors in Paradise Lost and Beyond
“Paradise Lost” is an epic poem, written in free verse by John Milton in the mid seventeenth century. Milton was born on December 9th, 1608 in London, England. During the seventeenth century, England, along with the rest of Europe, was going through vast changes politically and religiously speaking. England went from being a monarchy, to being ruled by a Lord Protectorate, Oliver Cromwell, in a Puritanical government, back to being ruled by a king. When Milton was born, England was ruled by King James I, a Scottish man who was the main influence of Shakespeare’s book, Macbeth. Charles I was put into power after James, starting on March 27th, 1625, and was the king of England, Scotland and Ireland until his execution on January 30th, 1649. Charles was an advocate of the Divine Right of Kings, which stated that rulers acquired their right to rule based on the law of God and of nature. By the divine right doctrine, power is said to be appointed to a ruler of an erstwhile authoritative ancestral line whom had been put into authority by God himself. If one was to resist the rule of a king, it was sure that they would be damned. The Divine Right of Kings falls into a category combining religion and politics. In layman’s terms, the belief of Divine Right was that the king was a harbinger of the word of God.
In some ways, the Divine Right could have influenced “Paradise Lost,” but in other ways, it contradicts Milton’s opinion that a ruler should have to prove his right to rule. Milton’s main intention of writing “Paradise Lost” was to justify the ways of God to men. If the Divine Right states that kings were essentially God’s messengers, then Milton’s justification of God’s right to rule over mankind, in a way, was justification of the kings’ right to rule. Despite the fact that this was not an intention of Milton’s, it can still be considered true. Milton was a puritan throughout the entire course of his life. He believed that power corrupts human beings and that a ruler should show proof of his right to rule, but at the same time, he believed that people should have to serve those above them in the government. Living in a country run by a king was not something he wanted to do. He spoke out against Charles and soon after Charles’ execution, Oliver Cromwell came into power. Milton worked for Cromwell while he was the Lord Protectorate of England. The puritans’ intentions were not to separate from the church, but merely purify it, hence their name.
Two years after Cromwell’s death, the monarch was reestablished, and Milton had to hide. He championed absolute freedom of the individual. This absolute freedom included freedom of religious and political views. The Anglican Church was the main Church of England, and eventually, it divided into three parts: the High Anglican sect, the Moderate Anglican sect, and the Puritan/Presbyterian sect. This change, though seemingly minuscule, created remarkable changes in British society; it presented citizens with a wider variety of religious practice options, which began to satisfy Milton’s wishes. Even though the division of the Church was closer to what Milton had wanted to see in England, it still didn’t agree with his complete opinion on religion. Milton “believed that each individual Christian should be his own church, without any establishment to encumber him” (SparkNotes: Paradise Lost: Context). In time, “Milton advocated the complete abolishment of all church establishments, and kept his own private religion, close to the Calvinism practiced by Presbyterians but differing in some ways” (SparkNotes: Paradise Lost: Context). Milton thought of the church as an obstacle to one’s true faith. His idealistic and completely arbitrary views on Christianity establish “Paradise Lost” as more than a slightly altered version of the first few sections of the bible, but as his personal interpretation of the word of God.
This is just one example of how incredibly influential the culture and events in society are on the art and literature produced all over the world. Art and literature represent the feelings and emotions evoked in the artist by the ever changing society in which they live. In Japanese culture, for example, art is highly influenced by major political and religious issues or events. The seventeenth century, for Japan, brought forth art of the Edo period. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate gained control of the government, without resistance, and committed to stabilize the country politically and economically, along with bringing the country peace. For the most part, this plan succeeded and the shogunate lasted until 1867. “One of the dominant themes of the Edo period was the repressive policies of the shogunate and the attempts of the artists to escape these strictures” (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Path: Japanese Art).
The Edo period imposed strict codes on Japanese society, affecting every aspect of life. There were limitations set in place in respect to the clothes they wore, the person one married, and even the activities one could or could not pursue. Before the shogunate fully impacted Japanese life, however, the early years of the Edo period produced some of Japan’s most exceptional and admirable paintings and architecture. Katsura Detached Palace, a famous example of impeccable architecture, was inspired by Genji’s palace and is surrounded by a beautiful garden with walkways for people to view the entire scope of the palace. As to paintings during this time, there is one famous painter, Tawaraya Sotatsu, whose techniques influenced many aspiring artists, even centuries after his death. Sotatsu created his own decorative style by incorporating concepts from the natural world and using magnificent colors in his figures. Most of the art created in the Edo period utilized vibrant colors, serene settings, and natural beauty. This general theme was probably to express the amount of peace increasing throughout the country and to represent positive change within their society.
In some ways, the Divine Right could have influenced “Paradise Lost,” but in other ways, it contradicts Milton’s opinion that a ruler should have to prove his right to rule. Milton’s main intention of writing “Paradise Lost” was to justify the ways of God to men. If the Divine Right states that kings were essentially God’s messengers, then Milton’s justification of God’s right to rule over mankind, in a way, was justification of the kings’ right to rule. Despite the fact that this was not an intention of Milton’s, it can still be considered true. Milton was a puritan throughout the entire course of his life. He believed that power corrupts human beings and that a ruler should show proof of his right to rule, but at the same time, he believed that people should have to serve those above them in the government. Living in a country run by a king was not something he wanted to do. He spoke out against Charles and soon after Charles’ execution, Oliver Cromwell came into power. Milton worked for Cromwell while he was the Lord Protectorate of England. The puritans’ intentions were not to separate from the church, but merely purify it, hence their name.
Two years after Cromwell’s death, the monarch was reestablished, and Milton had to hide. He championed absolute freedom of the individual. This absolute freedom included freedom of religious and political views. The Anglican Church was the main Church of England, and eventually, it divided into three parts: the High Anglican sect, the Moderate Anglican sect, and the Puritan/Presbyterian sect. This change, though seemingly minuscule, created remarkable changes in British society; it presented citizens with a wider variety of religious practice options, which began to satisfy Milton’s wishes. Even though the division of the Church was closer to what Milton had wanted to see in England, it still didn’t agree with his complete opinion on religion. Milton “believed that each individual Christian should be his own church, without any establishment to encumber him” (SparkNotes: Paradise Lost: Context). In time, “Milton advocated the complete abolishment of all church establishments, and kept his own private religion, close to the Calvinism practiced by Presbyterians but differing in some ways” (SparkNotes: Paradise Lost: Context). Milton thought of the church as an obstacle to one’s true faith. His idealistic and completely arbitrary views on Christianity establish “Paradise Lost” as more than a slightly altered version of the first few sections of the bible, but as his personal interpretation of the word of God.
This is just one example of how incredibly influential the culture and events in society are on the art and literature produced all over the world. Art and literature represent the feelings and emotions evoked in the artist by the ever changing society in which they live. In Japanese culture, for example, art is highly influenced by major political and religious issues or events. The seventeenth century, for Japan, brought forth art of the Edo period. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate gained control of the government, without resistance, and committed to stabilize the country politically and economically, along with bringing the country peace. For the most part, this plan succeeded and the shogunate lasted until 1867. “One of the dominant themes of the Edo period was the repressive policies of the shogunate and the attempts of the artists to escape these strictures” (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Path: Japanese Art).
The Edo period imposed strict codes on Japanese society, affecting every aspect of life. There were limitations set in place in respect to the clothes they wore, the person one married, and even the activities one could or could not pursue. Before the shogunate fully impacted Japanese life, however, the early years of the Edo period produced some of Japan’s most exceptional and admirable paintings and architecture. Katsura Detached Palace, a famous example of impeccable architecture, was inspired by Genji’s palace and is surrounded by a beautiful garden with walkways for people to view the entire scope of the palace. As to paintings during this time, there is one famous painter, Tawaraya Sotatsu, whose techniques influenced many aspiring artists, even centuries after his death. Sotatsu created his own decorative style by incorporating concepts from the natural world and using magnificent colors in his figures. Most of the art created in the Edo period utilized vibrant colors, serene settings, and natural beauty. This general theme was probably to express the amount of peace increasing throughout the country and to represent positive change within their society.
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