Greek mythological poem Essay Example for Free

Greek mythological poem Essay Subject: the poem is a Greek mythological poem about King Midas of Phrygia who had his wish granted everything he touches turns into gold. The poem is about the consequences of choosing money and greed which is presented to the readers through the wifes perspective. Duffy presents a wide range of emotions through Mrs. Midass persona. Mrs. Midas complains about his husbands selfishness and greed. Duffy gives a voice to women unheard in history. Duffy takes a historical character and translates them into present day. Mrs. Midas turns the noble king Phrygia into a pathetic greed middle-aged man.  The mood changes as the poem proceeds, reaching its peak of fear in the fifth to eleventh stanza then calmly comes down as Midas draws close to death. The language the character uses informs the reader about the mood of the poem. In the second and third of the first stanza Midas uses personified the kitchen as its steamy breath gently blanching the windows. This sets the calm relaxing atmosphere of the poem before the crisis. The poem is calm because Mrs. Midas uses smoothly and well-skilled sentences. The intonation changes suddenly, the sentences become short and factual lexis is used. For example in the fifth stanza Mr. Midas said I moved the phone. Mrs. Midas does this to make the situation seem more urgent chaotic and panicky. Short sentences are used in this poem to speed p the narration as the chaos happens in the poem. After the crisis is over, she reverts to her earlier relaxing mood. For example she said in last stanza Mrs. Midas said I miss most, even now, his warm hands on my skin, his touch. The language of the poem used by Mrs. Midas is elevated register. She uses descriptive lexis in the poem. This will be described further in the analysis.  The poem is a universal, therefore everyone can read it. The poem is moral lesson. For example in the sixth stanza Mrs. Midas said it feeds no one talking about gold. The moral lesson Duffy tries to teach us is money is a means to an end not an end, meaning money can be used to pay food to feed a person but it cant physically feed a person. Money is not a solution to everything as she addresses the middle class who adore money. The class backgrounds of the characters are middle-classes as they drink Italian wine. Wealth is trivial if not used to solve problems like in this poem. Mrs. Midas uses adverbs such gently to emphasis how calm and relaxed she was before the crisis.  In the first stanza Mrs. Midas uses personification, for instance she said the ground seems to drink the light of the sky. The dynamic verb drink personifies the ground as a human. The quote means the day changes to night. Mrs. Midas uses symbolism in the poem; rich symbolizes gold referring to Midas having to spit out the golden corn out of his mouth. Another symbolism used in the poem is work of art which symbolizes a statue which her husband would turn her into like he touches her. What is Liberal Democracy? Liberal Democracy is an indirect and representative form of democracy whereby the right to rule is gained through success in competitive elections on the basis of political equality. In a liberal Democratic state the people are protected by individual rights such as the civil rights in America and a constitutional government which based on rules set out in a codified constitution like in the US constitution.  Mrs. Midas uses metaphors through out the poem. For example, Mrs. Midas said turning the spare room into the tomb of Tutankhamun. Her husband is turning his room into gold, mythological compared to the Egyptian pharaohs tombs which were dressed with gold. What is Democracy?  Democracy is rule by the people. This is reflected in the idea of government by the people therefore key political decisions are made by the people. Democracy reflects the idea of equal citizenship whereby each citizen has the right to influence political decisions. For example, in February 2003 one and a half million citizens took to the streets of London. They are protesting against UKs involvement in the Iraq war. This reflects people power to influence political decisions. England is an example of a democratic state while North Korea is an example of an undemocratic state. Duffy uses a simile to make an internal rhyme its amber eyes /holding their pupils like flies. This intensifies the interior personal life of the woman. Another internal rhyme dream/streaming is used to suggest that she will have a solitary life.  Duffy uses repetition in the poem. For example in the sixth stanza Mrs. Midas said have wishes; granted. But who has wished granted? Duffy uses clever wordplay the first phrase is used as to notice that Midas has his wish granted and the second is turned into a question by using the past verb granted. Duffy does this to achieve a verbal humour. Define Representative democracy  Representative democracy is a limited and indirect form of democracy whereby the representatives act and speak on behalf of the people. The representatives can be chosen and removed by the public through elections. In a representative democratic state popular participation in government is limited and indirect to the act of voting very few years for a representative to represent them. There are uses of rhetoric in the poem. For example in the last stanza Mrs. Midas uses a repair his hands, his warm hands. Duffy uses repair to make Mrs. Midas character seem more realistic.  The poem is made up of eleven sestet stanzas. Most of the stanza are arranged perfectly to form a stanza. However in the in the fifth stanza the lines are merely joined together to make a stanza they are separated.

Iago’s Scheming in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Iago’s Scheming in Othello  Ã‚   Iago is a powerful predator who exploits those around him by infecting their perceptions of truth with carefully chosen fallacy. His skill in finding the proverbial chinks in others' armor allows him to skillfully weave his machinations of destroying Othello into their minds and actions; by manipulating character's perceptions of Desdemona, Iago gains the leverage he needs to exploit each character. No one is impervious to Iago's seething purpose; even Othello falls prey to Iago's suggestions and insinuations about Desdemona. Iago's constant presence as the stager, as well as his ceaseless - but subtle - reinforcement of events through narration, allows him to be the pivotal force that directs Shakespeare's Othello. In the opening scene, Iago provokes Brabantio against Othello by means of his pawn, Roderigo, and constantly stages the scene, ensuring that everything goes according to his plan. Iago realizes that Brabantio is very susceptible to attacks on his daughter; Iago uses Roderigo as a dummy, through whom he makes such antagonizing claims: "An old black ram / is tupping your white ewe" and "your daughter and the Moor are now / making the beast with two backs" (1.1.90, 121). By inflaming Brabantio's protective nature as a father, Iago directs Brabantio's wrath towards Othello while using Roderigo as a front. Iago successfully bends an unwitting Brabantio to the common goal of destroying Othello. The climax of Iago's power occurs during Iago's successful attempts to convince Othello - against the poor Moor's better judgment - that Desdemona fails to be loyal and that Othello differs too greatly from his fellow citizens to be a part of the Venetianworld. Iago craftily inflames Othel... ... that Iago felt compelled to engineer to perfection and totality; and once Iago's plan falls short of his mark, his pawns grow out of his control and finally expose his dark scheming. Fragility permeates Iago's liminal existence and, as shown, he has to be omnipresent in order to execute and oversee every aspect of his plan. His ambition leads to his downfall; modest desires for revenge blossom into extravagant and uncontrollable machinations which necessitate the deaths of all those involved. Iago finds it impossible to manipulate everyone at every moment, and for this sole reason, fails to bring his plan into full fruition. Work Cited William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice (from Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, sixth edition. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.      

Five Important Nataraja Shrines of Tamil Nadu Essay

There are lots of temples in Tamil Nadu where Siva is worshipped as Nataraja. Lord Siva, as the god of dance is known as Nataraja. There are lots of temples in India and especially in Tamil Nadu where Siva is worshipped as Nataraja. But, there are mainly five places in Tamil Nadu where the cult of Nataraja is worshipped with gaiety and pomp. The dancing deity Nataraja can be seen in these Pancha sabbas or five halls of Tamil Nadu. The five temples – Chidhambaram, Maduarai, Thiruvilankadu, Tirunelveli and Kutralam, are very revered and is known as the five sabhas. It is said Lord Shiva has danced at these five places as Nataraja – the dancing form of Shiva, to benefit different devotees. Kanaka Sabha: The most important shrine for Nataraja is the Kanaka Sabha or golden hall at Chidambaram. The Nataraja dances here in the Ananda Tandava or the dance of bliss form and he is called Kanaka Sabhapati or the Lord of the Golden Hall. This temple has been sung in a lot of Dhevaram and Thiruvasakam. Here Lord Shiva is worshipped in all the three forms, namely, arupa – which is called chitambara rahasyam, aruparupa – shiva lingam and rupa – nataraja. Nataraja was the favourite deity of the Chola kings of Tanjavur and hence they kept idol of Nataraja in all the Siva temples built by them in various places in their empire in Tamil Nadu and all over in South India. Chidambaram marks an important stage of evolution of southern Indian architecture. Rajatha Sabha: Rajatha Sabha or silver hall (velli ambalam) at the Minakshi Sundareshwarar temple in Madurai is another important Natarja shrine of Tamil Nadu. Nataraja is shown in a very rare posture here. He is shown his right leg raised and dancing on the dwarf (apasmara purusha) with his left foot. Both the main image of stone (moolavar) and the processional image (utsava murti) in this shrine are in unusual posture. The usual posture of Nataraja is dancing with his right leg placed on the dwarf with his left leg upraised. The change in posture of Nataraja here is linked with the legend (sthala-purana) of this place. It is said that the Pandyan king of Madurai was a devotee of Nataraja and under pressure from a rival Chola king, tried to master dance. But while trying to do so, he realised the difficulty of the task. He was filled with agony to see his favourite deity dancing with his right foot always as he did feel while doing himself. So, he prayed Lord Nataraja to change his posture so that he does not get tired in a same posture. The Lord listened to his request and changed his posture. So, Nataraja is seen dancing on his left foot here. One of the five important shrines of Nataraja can be seen at Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Here the dancing posture of Ambalavanan (Lord Siva) with ten hands can be seen only in the Velli ambalam at Madurai. Here the dance performed by Nataraja is known as Paramananda Thandavam and also as Chokka Thandavam. It is also known as Sundara Tandavam. Tamra Sabha: Another important Nataraja shrine of Tamil Nadu is situated at the Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli. The Tamra Sabha or the hall of copper is found here in the vast campus. Here the icon of Lord Siva is made of Bronze and is encircled by a prabha or aura of very attractive workmanship. It is said that the Nataraja image here was originally in the temple of Agnishwaram. Once a fire out broke here and then it was kept on the bed of a river. Later, it was brought to the Nellaiappar temple and worshipped here. Ratna Sabha: The Ratna Sabha or the hall of rubies in Tiruvalangadu is another important Nataraja shrine of Tamil Nadu. It takes approximately two hours from Chennai by road to reach Tiruvalangadu. The Lord here is called Ratna Sabhapati or the Lord of the Hall of rubies. There is a mythical story related to this place and the shrine. It is said that once Siva and Kali had a dance contest. At that time Kali was in a very angry mood and could not be pacified easily. Initially, Kali gave a better performance than Siva. But, later Nataraja (Siva) performed the Tandava dance also known as the Chanda (terrific) tandava and lifted his leg up above his head. Then, Kali out of modesty accepted her defeat. Lord Nataraja won the contest but he also declared that Kali was second to none than himself in dance. There is a very stunning metal image of eight-armed Siva dancing in the Urdlwa Tandava can be seen in this temple. There is also a small shrine nearby and there is another metal image of Kali who is also eight-armed can be seen. Chitra Sabha: The last among the five Nataraja shrines in Tamil Nadu is situated at Kuttralam. The Chitra Sabha or the hall of paintings is found here in Kuttralam, which is famous for its waterfalls. Here the lord Siva is known as the Kuttralanathan. But, all the rituals conducted here are first offered for Nataraja and then for Kuttralanathan. Here, Nataraja is known as Ananda Nata-rajeshwarar or the God of Blissful Dance. Kuttralam has nine Water Falls: 1. Main falls 2. Chitaruvi 3.Shenpagadevi falls 4. Thenaruvi 5. Five falls 6. Orchard falls 7. New falls 8. Tiger falls 9. Old Courtallam falls. Legends on Chitrasabhai goes like – The wedding of Shiva and Parvathi attracted huge celestial crowd at Himalaya that Shiva requested Saint Agastyar to proced southwards to balance the earth, and Agastyar is said to have created the Shivalingam here by shrinking an image of Vishnu, hence the name Kutralam. The Chitra Sabha is located outside the areas of the main temple. It is actually a huge hall built in a typical Kerala style. A huge painting of Nataraja in Tanjavur style can be seen here.

The Truth About Global Warming - 854 Words

The Truth about Global Warming Global warming is hot topic nowadays. Alarmists and scientists fight to make their statements known, but while the alarmists avoid the scientist, non-governmental organizations pass themselves as scientist. They not only give out exaggerated data, they also have the nerve to accuse humans of being the cause of global warming. Also, we cannot be certain that we are being told the truth without knowing exactly what is really going on behind the scenes. We blindly trust those in authority because we think that they have our greater good in mind and that whatever they say must be the truth. Catastrophic events†¦ or predictions? First of all, we often hear that carbon dioxide (CO2) has a negative impact on the temperature of our planet, also known as global warming. But what do we really know about global warming? The alarmists are always listing the millions of things we must stop doing in order to end global warming. They state that if we continue to emit greenhouse gases, which include CO2, plenty of catastrophic events will occur. For example, the latest news of the organization DARA is that â€Å"global warming will kill more than 100 million people during the next 18 years!† According to the Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank, DARA’s proclamation is exaggerated because it is not an accomplished scientist or a respected scientific organization making such claims’ - it is a non-governmental organization - so it does not have fundamentalShow MoreRelatedLearning about Global Warming through An Inconvenient Truth1672 Words   |  7 PagesAn Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim that depicts Al Gore’s campaign to increase awareness of global warming. I have always heard of g lobal warming, but have never taken the time to look at the available evidence and develop my own opinion. This documentary not only helped me achieve a greater understanding of the causes of global warming, but especially allowed me to comprehend the consequences humans face if nothing is done. The film consists of Al Gore givingRead MoreGlobal Warming : An Inconvenient Truth1258 Words   |  6 Pagesdocumentary on global warming entitled â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† . The movie earned several awards including an academy award for best documentary and gore later received a noble peace prize. The movie discussed several different topics of great concern to global warming; such as permafrost, climbs in temperature, extinction of species, drought, and fatigue to name a few. Four writers in five different articles discussed the three topics of greenhouse gases, climate change, and causes of global warming. TheseRead MoreGlobal Warming : An Inconvenient Truth1258 Words   |   6 Pagesdocumentary on global warming entitled â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† . The movie earned several awards including an academy award for best documentary and gore later received a noble peace prize. The movie discussed several different topics of great concern to global warming; such as permafrost, climbs in temperature, extinction of species, drought, and fatigue to name a few. Four writers in five different articles discussed the three topics of greenhouse gases, climate change, and causes of global warming. TheseRead More Pollution Essay: Don’t Blame Me for Global Warming1033 Words   |  5 Pagesspoke of the horrendous situations stemming from global warming. This makes no sense; with the facts and information that we have received over the years they still support this preposterous idea. Humans do nothing to contribute to global warming; the irregular climate events are just natural occurrences. These occurrences are no stranger to our history either. (â€Å" Global Warm Up†)(â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth†) The most recent case of significant warming was between the years 1850 and 1940. Most scientistsRead MoreA Convenient Appeal: The Image of Urgency in an Inconvenient Truth1142 Words   |  5 Pagesdocumentary film An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore uses a combination of appeals to logic and emotion to stress the urgency of the global warming crisis to an audience of everyday individuals. Gore’s logical appeals emphasize the danger and significance of global warming in a cogent, engaging multimedia platform. Rather than monotonously expounding upon detail after detail, he uses interactive visual aids to clarify his claims. As Stefan Lovgren, in â€Å"Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’ Movie: Fact or Hype?,† abbreviatesRead MoreMy Exam Choice : Home Final Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesMy Exam Choice: Home Final Essay Com 310 Spring 2015 Instructor: Dan Dullea Student Name: Destini Brodi ID: #0473731 The Topic Questions: Most scientists, using scientific evidence, believe that Global Warming and Global Climate change are the defining problem of our time and how we address the problem will determine the fate of our species. Other interest groups believe that either there is no problem or that we will find technological fixes to overcome any potential climate disaster:Read MoreAnthropogenic Global Warming1356 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Anthropogenic Global Warming Many consider global warming to be the largest threat that faces the earth today. This is just the opposite as we could not survive without global warming! The topic for this speech will be whether or not there is an imminent threat of Anthropogenic (or manmade global warming) at the end of my speech I would like the audience to develop the truce perspective on the issues of manmade global warming. This will be done through a small representation of theRead MoreReflection On Al Gore s An Inconvenient Truth1470 Words   |  6 PagesReflection on Al Gore’s â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† Al Gore begins his film â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† by defining global warming and how it affects our planet. He states that most people believe, â€Å"[t]he earth is so big that we can’t possibly have a lasting impact on the earths environment.† Gore then briefly explains the science behind global warming. Next, he brings in examples of people and places that are being affected by global warming. The most striking affect is that 40% of the world populationRead More Global Warming and the Media Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal Warming and the Media In this paper I will show that the issues of global warming have been misrepresented by some and cleverly utilized by others, (Y) by giving an overview of global warming as it is portrayed by the media, (Z) so that people will learn to search for scientific information regarding important issues for themselves. (P1) The media’s constant over-coverage of global warming is desensitizing the public to the very real problem of global warming. (P2) In the movies, An InconvenientRead MoreKoch s Anti Green Strategies And Global Warming1547 Words   |  7 Pagesand experiment has emerged in the scientific community concerning global warming. These discoveries have confirmed that pollution, as a consequence of humans, has resulted in the negative effects of climate change, specifically global warming. Despite this general agreement among the scientific society, two infamously wealthy brothers, known as the Koch Brothers, pursue to deny these claims by passionately funding anti glob al warming efforts throughout the years. One of their more considerable accomplishments