Thursday, May 14, 2020

Becketts Endgame Essay - 2792 Words

Becketts Endgame While Beckett’s works are often defined by their existentialist themes, Endgame seems to offer no solution to the despair and melancholia of Hamm, Clov, Nagg, and Nell. The work is replete with overdetermination that confounds the efforts of critics and philosophers to construct a single, unified theme for the play. Beckett resisted any effort to reconcile the problems of his world, offer solutions, or quench any fears overtly. However, this surface level of understanding that aligns Beckett with the pessimism of the Modernist movement is ironically different from the symbolic understanding that Beckett promotes through his characters and the scene. Beckett’s work does not suggest total hopelessness,†¦show more content†¦All that loveliness! [Pause.] Hed snatch away his hand and go back into his corner. Appalled. All he had seen was ashes. [Pause.] He alone had been spared. [Pause.] Forgotten. [Pause.] It appears the case is ...was not so...so unusual. (En dgame 2474) Hamm and Clov seem entirely like the madman depicted here, and Hamm’s suggestion that the condition is typical says that Hamm and Clov are experiencing this psychosis. Clov sees the same nothingness when he looks out of the window, declaring everything to be â€Å"corpsed† (Endgame 2469). Beckett also deliberately associates psychosis with art: the madman was a painter—and engraver (Engame 2474). This suggests that in the context of conflict in the post-war world, a â€Å"desert† (Engame 2467) of creativity amongst artists is especially dangerous, because we fail to recover and reconstruct a new world with some meaning. The use of storytelling to pass the time and remember the past is common in Endgame, but it never satisfies the characters and it fails to kill the sense of despair. Beckett also remarks on the power of art as Clov takes down the picture hanging on the wall shortly after Clov informs Hamm that there are no more painkillers. In this sense, art seems to supply some hope and inspiration in life. Beckett suggests that art in as far as it represents independent creation can dramatically overhaul the world. The allegory of ModernismShow MoreRelated Codependency in Samuel Becketts Endgame Essay1328 Words   |  6 PagesCodependency in Samuel Becketts Endgame Clov asks, What is there to keep us here? Hamm answers, The dialogue. In the play Endgame, Samuel Beckett demonstrates dramatically the idea of codependency between the two focal characters who rely on each other to fulfill their own physical and psychological needs. Beckett accomplishes this through Hamm, who assumes the identity of a kingly figure, and his relationship with Clov, who acts as his subject. In Endgame, this idea is establishedRead More Power Play in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame Essays2114 Words   |  9 PagesPower Play in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame In a shelter devoid of sunlight and laughter, the family in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame all struggle to find their niches within their world. Central to the play physically and emotionally, Hamm has the ability to make the others revolve around him. Clov, physically the healthiest in the family, has a power that even Hamm could not define until very late in the play. Nagg and Nell, the elderly parents of Hamm, hold the power of memories. Although some charactersRead MoreEssay on Endgame and Act Without Words1384 Words   |  6 PagesEndgame and Act Without Words Beckett: Endgame Hamm is horrofied at the notion that existence is a recurring matter and therefore is cyclic; that beginnings and endings (60- 62) may be amalgamated in the grand scheme of things and that life will start afresh again. Nevertheless, the contradictions confuse his desires. He is terrified of the flea and rat that Clov finds and wants to exterminate them in case humanity might start from there all over again, but he also suggests that heRead MoreEndgame by Samuel Beckett824 Words   |  4 Pagesmeaning of theatrical absurdity. Beckett’s effortless writings over the years, created a unique dramatic persona in his plays that won him the Noble Peace prize. After receiving one of the highest awards known to humanity, he kept a low profile. This period alludes to the satisfaction of reaching his peak. Yet, in his later work, the Endgame makes a direct correlation with the satisfaction of making your peak a plateau. He creates a philosophical predicament in the Endgame of trying to discover the trueRead More Beckett, Brecht and Endgame Essay2233 Words   |  9 PagesBeckett, Brecht and Endgame      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Irish playwright Samuel Beckett is often classified amongst Absurdist Theatre contemporaries Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Jean Genet, and Eugene Ionesco (Brockett 392-395). However, Endgame, Becketts second play, relates more closely to the theatrical ideology of German playwright Bertolt Brecht, father of epic theatre and the alienation effect. Through the use of formal stage conventions, theatrical terminology, and allusions to Shakespearean textsRead MoreA Connection Between Existence And Absence2238 Words   |  9 Pagesdiminished sense of self-esteem. Not until the time we lack the ability to perform the things we want, do we feel the absence and thus wish for their existence. This is so because we have a humane nature of taking everything for granted. In his play Endgame, Beckett uses many absurd elements to make a connection between existence and absence. Throughout his characters Clov and Hamm, Beckett uses each of them to demonstrate their inco mpleteness and thus the need to seek the help of one other in orderRead MoreSamuel Beckett : Theatre Of The Absurd And Beckett s Use Of The Literary Concept1071 Words   |  5 PagesSamuel Beckett: Theatre of the Absurd and Beckett’s Use of the Literary Concept Samuel Beckett’s works revolve around human despair and surviving in hopeless situations. His very first critical essay was Finnegans Wake. Much of his work is inspired by French philosophers. One of the most influential philosophers on Beckett was Descartes. Samuel Beckett gained his claim to fame in the writing community when he introduced the concept of absurdity, nihilism, and human despair to find the meaning ofRead More Technology and Beckett’s Play, Krapp’s Last Tape1167 Words   |  5 PagesTechnology and Beckett’s Play, Krapp’s Last Tape â€Å"bois seul bouffe brà »le crà ªve seul comme devant les absents sont morts les prà ©sents puent sors tes yeux dà ©tourne-les sur les roseaux se taquinent-ils ou les aà ¯s pas la peine il y a le vent et l’à ©tat de veille†[1][1] -Samuel Beckett, Untitled As an avant-garde writer and a trend starter, Beckett was intensely in touch with his own time and its most significant realities, one of which beingRead MoreSamuel Beckett s Waiting For Godot, Endgame, And Not I2331 Words   |  10 Pagespurpose and meaning in a chaotic and uncaring world, and to the playwright Samuel Beckett it is no different. In the works Waiting for Godot, Endgame, and Not I, Samuel Beckett uses elements of nihilism, pessimism, and absurdity to find humor in day-to-day existence, as well as the relationships between the self and others. Before one can analyze Beckett’s work, one must first understand the meanings of nihilism, pessimism, and absurdity in regard to Beckett himself. Nihilism is a term often attributedRead More Pitiful Human Condition Exposed in Endgame, Dumbwaiter, and The Horse Dealers Daughter1403 Words   |  6 PagesThe Pitiful Human Condition Exposed in Endgame, Dumbwaiter, and The Horse Dealers Daughter      Ã‚   The three stories, The Endgame (Beckett), The Dumbwaiter (Pinter), and The Horse Dealers Daughter (Lawrence) all deal with the themes of repression, repetition, and breakdowns in communication. The stories show us the subjectivity of language and exemplify the complexities of the human condition.    Samuel Beckett arrived on earth in Ireland on Good Friday, April 13, 1906. He then

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Houyhnhnms in Gullivers Travels Essay - 505 Words

The Houyhnhnms in Gullivers Travels In the last part of the novel Gullivers Travels, by Jonathan Swift, a dichotomy is established which crtiticizes two extreme ideas of man. The Houynhnms, a race of horses, are meant to symbolize man as a supremely rational being and the Yahoos, a primitive, vulgar version of humans, are made to symbolize man as an animal. The narrator Gulliver is a sort of reference point between the two, since in physical appearance he seems to be a Yahoo, but his ability to reason enables him to relate well to the Houynhnms. Readers have interrpreted the rational horses in a number of different ways. Some feel that the Houynhnms are the ideal to which humans should strive to attain. Others feel that the†¦show more content†¦Indeed, Love plays no part in even the institution of matrimony. Mates are selected based on their coloring, and to produce offspring that will enhance the species as a whole. Even death evokes no emotion among the Houyhnhnms; If they can avoid Casualties, they die only of Old Age, and are buried in the obscurest Places that can be found, their Friends and Relations expressing neither Joy nor Grief at their Departure. Why would the human ideal be existing as emotion-less, passion-less creatures devoid of feeling and driven purely by reason. Although Gulliver so admires them, Swift does not mean us to take this admiration seriously. When Gulliver first encounters the Houynhnms, he takes an immediate liking to them, saying Upon the whole, the behaviour of these animals was so orderly and rational, so acute and judicious, that I at at last concluded they must needs be Magician. This admiration grows and grows until he quickly comes to believe that these creatures are perfect in every way possible. The fact that these creatures are horses, not humans, symbolizes how Swift believes that no humans can be so perfect. The extent to which Gulliver worships these creatures is further delineated by his self-loathing; When I happened to behold my Reflec tion of my ownShow MoreRelatedSwifts Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pages Swifts Gulliver’s Travels enables us to critically and harshly analyse our world and encourages us to evaluate the customs of early 18th century English society in relation to an ideal humanity. In order to address the injustices prevalent in human constructs and behavior, Swift uses literary techniques to induce a state of extreme self-doubt. The satires assessment of humanitys positive and negative traits is developed through Gullivers awkward process of identifying with the loathsome YahoosRead MoreJonathan Swift s True Purpose1067 Words   |  5 Pageswonderful children’s book, filth, and absurd were just a few words that people during the 17th century used to describe Gulliver’s Travels. During the 17th century there was a period of new ideas and creativity; that period was called the Reformation. The Reformation period was a time of change for how people interpreted the world around them. The opinions of Gulliver’s Travels were based off of interpretations of the book, the interpretations were not always correct; therefore, the opinions wereRead More English Society and Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels Essay1195 Words   |  5 PagesExposed in Gullivers Travels  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In Gullivers Travels, Swift takes us to many places that serve as a looking glass for the foibles of English society, but none of the places are as severe a censure of men as Houyhnhnmland. Here Swift has made a clear division of pure reason, embodied in the Houyhnhnms (maybe he was refering to horse sense), and raw passion, embodied in the Yahoos (which are coincidentally very manlike). Here Gulliver has to make the choice between Houyhnhnms andRead MoreGulliver s Travels By Johnathan Swift914 Words   |  4 PagesGulliver’s Travels is a travel book written by Johnathan Swift. Gulliver’s Travel was published in 1726. Johnathan Swift is a satirist. A satirist is a writer who uses humor, irony, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity. Swift goes on a journey throughout the boo. During the journey, Johnathan exploits human flaws in his travel book. Gulliver travels into four imaginary lands. Each of the four books provide social and po litical commentary. Swift created this book to get a buzz.Read MoreJonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels1210 Words   |  5 Pages The definition of a utopia is an imagined place or state in which everything is perfect. In book four of Gulliver’s travels Gulliver discovers a group of people called the Houyhnhnms and the group displays qualities of a possible utopia. The Houyhnhnms are very rational in their thinking, and try their best to stay away from entertainment and vanity. However the Houyhnhnms could not be considered creators of a utopia because they emphasized unrealistic rules and because of their treatment ofRead MoreGullivers Travels: Swifts Opinions Of The English Essay960 Words   |  4 Pagesliterature Gullivers Travels . The many humorous stories in Gullivers Travels have appealed to audiences of all ages since the book was written in the early eighteenth century by Jonathan Swift, a political writer (xvii).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gullivers Travels is written as Lemuel Gullivers account of his voyages to the strange lands of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, the kingdom of Laputa, and the land of the Houyhnhnms. Swifts opinions on the English politics of his time are disguised in Gullivers strange encountersRead MoreThe Dystopia Of Gulliver s Travels1673 Words   |  7 PagesThe dystopia of Gulliver’s Travels In the narrative of Gulliver’s Travels, the journey of Gulliver had a series of events that led the readers to identify whether the novel was utopia or dystopia. Utopia is a place that is filled with perfect peace, it is a perfect world, no wars, no poverty, no discrimination, and etc., while dystopia is the total opposite, it is a bad place, the freedom to have independence without thinking correctly, and not having any control or any governments to governRead More Gullivers Travels Essay705 Words   |  3 PagesSATIRE OF GULLIVER’S TRAVELS nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Jonathan Swift’s satirical prose, Gulliver’s Travels, is the subject of a wide variety of literary critique and social interpretation. Although many readers, at first glance, take this tale to be simply a fantastic narrative of a common man and his encounters with unusual locations and people through several journeys, further inspection reveals Swift’s true purpose of creativity--satire. Using the contemporary style of the Travel NarrativeRead MoreEssay on The Nature of Man in Gullivers Travels742 Words   |  3 PagesThe Nature of Man in Gullivers Travels Swift uses many personae to sketch the nature of man in Book 4 of Gullivers travels. The problem with this is that none of the personae give us the same definition of the nature of man. First of all, there is Gulliver himself, who bases his judgments on the ways in which the Yahoos behave and the way the people from his country behave. He ties it all together at the end in his reflections. Most of all, throughout the book, we get an idea of the natureRead More Swift Essay648 Words   |  3 Pageswork Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift demonstrates to the reader the importance of virtue. I this story the main character am Gulliver; a world traveler who takes a journey to different lands. Each place that Gulliver lands has different ideals that are the foundation of their society. Their views on life are completely new to Gulliver. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;There are fatal errors in the way each society functions. The Yahoos are considered to be unintelligent savages. The Houyhnhnms are

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Newspaper Article free essay sample

Benvolio, a nephew of Montague tried to calm the fight, but in vain. As soon as lady Capulet’s nephew, Tybalt, made an appearance on the scene, the old grudges came to the surface. Although everybody has forgotten the real cause of this long lasting vendetta between the two families. In a trice, fighting broke out between the two noblemen. Gradually, citizens of Verona joined the fray and took sides. Swords were drawn, along with the crowds. Animosity and pernicious rage flaired with increasing tension and aggressiveness. Drawn by this violent up-heaval, the heads of the respective families arrived on the scene to exacerbate the general feelings of the crowd. Immediately, they asked for their swords even though Lady Capulet and Lady Montague tried to talk reason to them. By God’s grace, our Prince was there to put an end to this strife by imposing his just judgment and, thankfully, no lives were taken. The lads attracted considerable attention at that time on account of his youthfulness  as well as the skilful manner in which he handled the machine. He was the chauffeur who handled the machine Sunday when the accident occurred which resulted so tragically for the happy party of autoists. The Gray family resides in Plum Tree and the tragedy happened in sight of their home. In front of the Souers Locust Glen Farm. The accident was due to a gully in the road-bed which was washed out during recent heavy rains. The car was speeding along at a fair rate of speed when the gully was reached, into which the front wheel of the machine dropped, taking control out of the hand of the young chauffeur, much the same as the tongue of a wagon is wrenched from ones hands when backed down a hill when the wheel strikes a stone or some other obstacle. The sudden stoppage of the machine caused the auto to careen and turn turtle, throwing the occupants out after which it settled down over some of them holding them prisoners. The  Shafer  girls were seated in the front seat with young Gray and were thrown clear of the machine. Miss Cleo  alighting on her head and shoulders causing concussion of the brain which County Coroner  Dr. Taviner  says caused her death. Her sister hastened to her side, although painfully injured herself, and carried her sister over to the grass, where she gave a gasp or two and her spirit took flight, while the heroic sister fainted away. The cries of the frightened and injured autoists attracted the attention of  Mr. and Mrs. Stutesman  who reside on the Souers farm and they were the first to reach the side of the victims. The sight which met their gaze was more than  Mrs. Stutesman  could stand, and the terrible agony and suffering of the injured caused her to swoon away and for a time her condition was quite serious. It requiring some time and considerable work to bring her to. Russell Gray  the chauffeur, escaped serious but not painful bruises as his legs were peeled and bruised in a painful manor. (several sentences i cannot read)  Miss Shafer  the young lady who was killed, as well as her sister who was injured, are the nieces of  Mrs. Perry Keller  of this city, who was notified by phone shortly after the accident occurred   |