The use of symbolism in plays and poems Essay Example for Free

The use of symbolism in plays and poems Essay Symbolism is the use of a person, an object, a place, or an idea to represent it self and something beyond itself at the same time. Two recognizable examples of symbolism are the Stars and Stripes on the flag; this is the symbol for the United States of America. Another well-known symbol is skull and crossbones, which we all know represent something poisonous. Symbolism is often used in all forms of literature and poetry. Many use it because it helps the writer to get their expressions out more clearly (Prentice Hall Literature 619). Some symbols can be read clearly and understood with ease but there are others, which have private meanings. Symbols with private meanings usually cannot be comprehended at first glance but instead you have to really understand the text in which you are reading. In order to get the exact meaning of a private symbol you must appreciate the literary work in which you are reading (Prentice Hall Literature 619). More frequently used and most recognizable uses of symbolism in todays society are youth, which symbolizes springtime, middle age, which is summer, and old age, which is autumn or winter. Also there is death, which is darkness or cold, roses are used for love and beauty, and doves are for peace and owls, which symbolizes wisdom. Two writhers who could be symbolizing by an owl are William Shakespeare and William Blake (Prentice Hall Literature 619). William Shakespeare and William Blake can both be considered as two of the greatest writhers in their time. Though Shakespeare wrote plays and Blake wrote poems there still remain many similarities between the two. These two writers became familiar with symbolism and decided to take their poems and plays to the extreme. Both figured out ways to maximize the effect of the use of symbolism in their poems and plays. Their knowledge of literature cannot be questioned because the both soared above the rest. Their ability to use unique symbols makes them nothing short of literary geniuses. They have shown us that the expression of your thought can be obtained in your  literary work. (Prentice Hall Literature 619). William Shakespeare was born on April 13, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Shakespeare began his education at the age of seven where he attended the Stratford grammar school. While at Stratford he studied Latin Rhetoric, Logic, and literature. His knowledge and imagination is said to have come from reading about ancient authors and poetry. Shakespeare received a license to marry Anne Hathaway in November 1582. Shakespeare was married when he was only 18. His wife was 26 years old. Shakespeare fathered three children: Susanna, and twins Hamneth and Judith. Shakespeare was first recognized as a writher by Robert Green in 1552. Shakespeare became widely known as an actor and a play writer. By 1594 he had written six plays and two poems (Prentice Hall Literature 204). In 1599 Shakespeare and six other associates became owners of the Globe which was an outdoor theatre. This is where he decided to continue his acting. Shake4speare died April 23, 1616, but before his death he had written thirty-seven plays (Prentice Hall Literature 204). William Blake was born in 1757. At the age of four he screamed because he was believed to have seen God in his window. At the age of eight, while walking in fields, he saw a tree with angels. To the people Blakes visions raised great concern, but to his parents his gift was something that should be nurtured. Blake never attended any schools, instead he was self-taught. Although he did not attend any school his father decided when he became old enough he would be sent to an engraver because Blake loved to draw (Prentice Hall Literature 618). Between the ages of twelve and twenty, Blake wrote a series of poems. Some of his better known poems were Poetical Sketches and Songs of Innocence. Instead of publishing his poetry he engraved them on metal plates with varnish, and then he painted then by hand. Because the process took so much time few of his books were published. Blake lived in a filthy London Studio  where he continued to see visions of angels and prophets who instructed him in his work. Once he painted while receiving a vision of Voltaire. He was later asked did Voltaire speak English he replied to my ears it was English (Prentice Hall Literature 618). Blakes poetry wasnt recognized until several years after his death on August 13, 1827. This tells me that throughout Blakes lifetime poets were rarely understood. His poetry was understood to operate on two levels one of them symbolic, the other was literal (Prentice Hall Literature 618). Shakespeare, one who is known for his extremely dramatic plays, was considered one of the greatest writers of all time. Some of his more famous plays are Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear. In these plays Shakespeare shows a variety of symbolism. Some of his symbolism can be recognized at first glance, but there are others that have to be carefully read and studied to truly understand their meaning. In his pays happiness, times of hardship, love and times of joy are all represented by symbolism. His plays are truly nothing short of a work of art (The Complete Works of William Shakespeare 118). One play that Shakespeare displays his knowledge of symbolism is Julius Caesar. This is a tragic play based on the lives of ancient Greek biographer Plutarch. Writer Sir Thomas North translated the content. It was first performed in 1599 and published in 1623. The play takes place in ancient Rome, it tells the Roman events before and after the assassination of the Roman ruler Julius Caesar. Ironically in the play Julius Caesar is not the main character: the character within the main focus was Brutus. He is a Roman general and Caesars best friend. Brutus soon turns against Caesar and joins a plot to murder him. After the death of Caesar he joins an army and soon kills himself (Julius Caesar38). Some symbolism in this play are the omens of Caesars death, the warnings of the augur and of artemidorus, and the absence of the heart in the animal sacrificed all symbolizes the unity of an army which was destroyed. The river in the pay is said to have symbolized the faminality of the Heavens. A  red stain of the left leg and foot of the statue of Brutus is said to symbolize the blood of the great Caesar. More examples of symbolism can be found within this play. Explore it and notice the extreme use of symbolism (Julius Caesar 54). Another play where Shakespeare shows his knowledge of symbolism is Macbeth. Macbeth is also one of Shakespeares tragic plays. It is based on the Chronicles by the English historian Raphael Holinshed. It was first performed in 1623. This was a tale about how Macbeth captures the throne by murdering King Duncan. After killing King Duncan he becomes more and more of a man without feelings. After the death of his wife he feels nothing so he goes into battle. He is then killed and Duncans son, Malcolm, takes over the throne (Macbeth). Something special about this play is that the whole play symbolizes a mixture of history and legends. Another form of symbolism in this play is when the witches promise Banquo that his children would inherit the throne. In the end it was not his children who inherited the throne; children symbolized grandchildren or descendants (Shakespeare 30). This play also symbolizes a compliment to the king. It was suppose to flatter the king because it was written about his ancestor, Banquo. This is one of Shakespeares most popular plays in his time and in the present (Macbeth). Unlike William Shakespeare, William Blake does not show his knowledge of symbolism in plays. Blake uses his method of expressing himself through symbolism in poetry instead of in plays. He feels as though symbolism helps him to express himself through his poetry. Blakes poetry raised many eyebrows in time, mainly because the people did not understand the greatness of his poems. Throughout his lifetime he went everyday with no one really noticing him for the great poet that he is known as today. Two poems that stand out among the rest of Blakes poems are The Lamb and The Tiger. These are two poems where Blake actually had a chance to show ho much he loved to use symbolism (Prentice Hall Literature 618). In William Blakes The Lamb, the lamb has two symbolic meanings. One  meaning I have interpreted as the lamb being the people of the world. Blake appears to have had problems with the people of the world. Another being that the lamb symbolizes is a child, a child that is more than a child, a child that seems to have a relationship with God (Prentice Hall Literature 620). In his poem The Tiger, Blake truly expresses his feelings toward the world. He uses the jungle cat as a symbol for the savage and unnamed forces in the world that prompts human beings to perform evil actions. William Blakes relationship with the outside world is unknown, but he was greatly mistreated by everyone. He lived a life of poverty so that may have been more than enough to push him over the edge. Also in Blakes poems he tries to show a contrast between good and evil. Blake believed symbolism makes literature a wonderful thing (Prentice Hall Literature 622). Symbolism is a brilliant way to express your thoughts and emotions in your writing. The creator of symbolism was nothing short of a genius. Those who understand and use symbolism know that it works wonders for you literary work. If symbolism is used correctly it can stimulate the minds of your readers. Using symbolism allows you to lose control of your feelings in your writing. This is why it is used so often (Prentice Hall Literature 721).

Culture and a Mans Dying Wish :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A man dies. His community's culture deems that he be buried in holy ground lest the community suffer some catastrophe. He, having always been at odds with his community on this point, has left a provision in his will that he be cremated and his ashes scattered into the ocean. The body waits in the hospital while the community debates the issue. What is to be done?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The elders have asked for a moral opinion. What is one to say? If the belief that the man must be buried is one deeply ingrained in the hearts and minds of the community, then a decision to cremate him would cause an uproar. On the other hand, if there are some who sympathize with the man, either decision might cause a schism within the community. The ultimate action would have to depend on much more than the culture's belief about burial. It would have to take into account the culture's beliefs on individual rights, freedom of belief, and the validity of the man's will. It would also have to take into account the moral implications of carrying out a man's dying wish and the repercussions of violating a sacred social institution. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, but by stepping back and weighing the options carefully, one can come to a conclusion which would be the most moral given the situation. I say most moral because there really is no right choice here. Any action taken will most definitely be wrong to at least one group of people. Here no plea can be made to universal morality because neither belief in its specific sense appeals to any pure moral intuition. People on the other side of the world might have neither the belief that the man should be buried, nor the belief that his ashes should be spread. Each person's choice would be too influenced by his own cultural morality, and so nobody would really have a right to judge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Were I to be asked for an opinion on this matter, I feel I would have no authority in my response. It is really the community's choice, and I would be afraid to make a decision which affects people completely strange to me. I doubt they would ask me in the first place, but were I to be asked my opinion I would say that the man should be buried in the special burial ground.

Microsoft excel and the Microsoft access

1. Which two training sessions did you select and why? I chose the Microsoft excel and the Microsoft access training session, the reason why I chose the excel training session was so that I could gain more knowledge on better data analysis and ways in which one can make it more easier to insert formulas on data, excel is known for the analysis of a large sample of data. Microsoft access session is also concerned with data and therefore I wanted to learn more about how one can make computing easier when dealing with data that fall in different categories. 2. What were the highlights of the first training session? The first training session I chose was the Microsoft excel session, the main highlights included the great excel features, printing options of excel, creating a chart, enter formulas and working with the keyboard. 3. What were the highlights of the second training session? The second training session was on Microsoft access, the main highlights in this session were differences between a list and a data base, primary keys, fields and tables and finally the four main objects that databases contain 4. Describe three benefits from each training session (six totals) that you will use in your personal or professional life. From both training sessions I have improved my office package use with ease in understanding the application of both excel and access. Microsoft Excel I learnt how to import data into a worksheet, this has helped me text to ease my work of transferring text like data into excel without having to write the whole data manually from other office packages such as word. I also learnt to use various formulas and short cuts to those formulas, in the case where one has a sample whose sample is over a hundred one can simply add up easily and also find the mean and also draw a histogram and other charts. I also have learnt to use more than one chart, in this case I have learnt also to auto fill formulas having only written the on the first row, this makes it easier to use on data that require to be multiplied by different columns on the worksheet. Microsoft Access In this course I learnt how to use queries and let access give an output, example in a case where one wants to know how many individuals in a company earn more than a certain level of income, all you need to do is enter a query and then you get your results. I also learnt how to make a database which aids in organization of work, the data base will be created with fields such as address, location, department and even the name, this will aid in organization of the data of employees to a manager or accountant. I also learnt how to use the data in access to mail merge, this entails the writing of a letter in word and leaving some fields linked to the data and then one only has to merge the letter with the data base and one can write to a hundred people within minutes. 5. What would you add to either training session in terms of improvement, if anything? In terms of improving the training session I would recommend that there be more advanced learning concerning the various Microsoft packages, this will involve animation of ways in which various applications are applied. REFERENCE: Microsoft office training (2007) Microsoft excel and Microsoft access training sessions, retrieved on 26th July, available at www.office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx   

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