A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Example for Free

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Essay After reading A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, I felt that I had a better grasp of the relationship between men and women in the Victorian era. The man was all- powerful in this time; women were well in the background, subservient and dependent on men in all areas of her life. It was surprising to me that women were not allowed to sign legal documents, such a personal loan without a mans signature. Total dependency had to be a tough pill to swallow for strong willed women. I am sure that many clever and cunning women were able to manipulate the men in their lives, letting the man believe that they were in full control of the relationship. However the majority of women who were not able to assert themselves as forcefully as I am sure they wished. Men were able to run the household through kind or cruel intentions. In Noras case Torvald was a kind man, however it seemed to me that he was always belittling her with subtle, gentle verbal abuse that Nora absorbed like a sponge. Nora tolerated these actions as long as there was security for her and her children. Women of this era married mainly for security rather than love. If there was love in a marriage it was a by product of chance and a blessing, not the usual state of affairs between men and women. When Nora finally realizes that Torvald is not a man of honor the need for security and dependence is broken. Nora prays for a miracle of miracles hoping that Torvald will come to her rescue and be her Knight on a white horse and save her from dishonor for the illegal loan she signed for. She prayed that Torvald would take the blame and leave her blameless and spotless. Even though she states at the same time that she would not let him take the blame for her actions, she wished that he would place his reputation and the line for hers. In this Nora is a remarkable woman. She only wants Torvald to make the gesture so she can respect and look up to him, to see that he is a man of honor and strength. But she sees that he is a hypocrite and with that the break in their one-sided marriage is complete. She realizes that she does  not know who she is but she is determined to take the journey and find out what kind of women she is. She must leave her doll house and go out in the real world and find out what she is made of. I feel that Nora will find that she is a better person than most people that she knows in her sheltered and pampered life. The decision to leave her husband and children was shocking in her day and how the people must have gossiped. Wagging their fingers at her saying For shamed, for shamed. Nora was not even truly raising her children; she had Anne Marie for that task. Nora simply entertained the children in a superficial relationship. She no longer respected Torvald; she did not even know who she was. She had to leave to find Nora, the Nora that never was, so she had to go.

Vegetarian Essay -- Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Vegetarians Growth problems. Animal population problems. Disease. These are all problems caused by being a vegetarian, that is, one who only eats vegetables. There are different degrees of being a vegetarian. To one extreme, is a person who eats nothing associated with animals (no yogurt, ice-cream, or even anything that has come in contact with meat or another animal). The opposite are those who just eat vegan most of the time and will still eat animal bi-products. Then there are others who are in between. Being a vegetarian is not natural. Since the beginning of time, humans have been consuming animals. A vegetarians diet lacks energy, calcium, zinc, and vitamins (B-12 and D). Without supplements, severe medical problems can arise. Also, those supplements are usually man made and do not require some of substances, still un-identified, in meat. A carnivorous diet has always been in American history. Turkey is eaten on Thanksgiving, not Tofu Surprise. Fish on Fridays, not salad. Pop and son would go hunting in the winter for fresh game to eat, they wouldn’t go picking berries and roots. Those who could not or would not eat meat did not survive. Studies have been done by M. J. Lentze, a German who found that vegetarianism causes impaired growth in children five years or younger. Vegan children even fail to grow as well with supplements that exceed the Recommended Daily Allowance. It is true that many vegetables contain a high amount of protein...

2012 Hsc English Essay

2012 English HSC Essay by Marcus Kraefft An individual’s perceptions of belonging can change in response to the passage of time and their interactions with the world. Constructive interactions can increase one’s sense of belonging. In the same way destructive interactions or alienation can decrease one’s sense of belonging. The passing of time also affects an individual’s sense of belonging in that it can lead to an appreciation of place and culture. One’s sense of belonging also depends on whether they choose to belong and are chosen to belong, but choice is not always enough.Although both parties may want to belong to each other, barriers can still exist, preventing a sense of belonging. This is evident in Raimond Gaita’s ‘Romulus, My Father’ (1998) and ‘American History X’ (1998) directed by Tony Kaye. The sense of belonging of the individuals in these texts evolves through the elapsing of time and interactions wi th their world. An individual’s interaction with their world shapes their sense of belonging; constructive interactions increase one’s sense of belonging.Upon first moving to Australia Romulus was immediately drawn to Horu and Mitru because they have similar backgrounds. Romulus had many interactions with Horu and Mitru and as a result Romulus felt an increasingly strong sense of belonging to them. Romulus spent more time and interacted more with Horu and we see that Romulus developed a stronger friendship with Horu than with Mitru. Raimond also had many interactions with Vacek and as they met more often Raimond felt more and more comfortable with Vacek, showing an increased sense of belonging.Similarly in ‘American History X’, Derek despises negroes and has no sense of belonging to them. When Derek goes to prison though, he is forced to interact with negroes through prison duties such as folding sheets together. From this Derek forms a strong friendship w ith a particular negro, Jim, and as a result of their interactions, his perspective of negroes changes for the better. â€Å"In here, you the nigger†, as quoted by Jim, shows the contrast in the environment Derek is in; he was used to a white dominated society and is now forced to live in a society dominated by negroes.In the same way that constructive interactions strengthen a sense of belonging, destructive interaction or alienation can weaken a person’s sense of belonging. In ‘Romulus, My Father’ Christine is forced to move with Romulus to Australia. â€Å"She’s a city girl†, who felt alienated in the barren landscape of Frogmore – â€Å"a landscape that highlighted her isolation†. Her mental illness reduced her number of interactions with others and directly resulted in a decreased sense of belonging.Alienation causes loss in one’s sense of belonging and can be expressed through desensitisation. This is present in â⠂¬ËœAmerican History X’. The skinhead clan reject all negroes and immigrants, alienating them. Alienation results in a decreased sense or absence of belonging, which can be represented by causing harm to another with no remorse. This is shown in ‘American History X’ when Derek murders two negroes and then smiles about it while being arrested by police, as if he is proud of what he has done.This absence of belonging between the skinheads and the negroes applies to both parties. This is shown at the end of the film when a negro high school student gruesomely shoots and kills Danny, Derek’s brother, in the school bathrooms. He stood in silence with no emotion and no remorse. This scene shows how alienation affects a person’s decisions, actions and reactions. Choosing to belong and being chosen to belong often leads to a sense of belonging but choice may not always be enough. Certain barriers may exist to prevent a sense of belonging.In ‘Romulus, My Father’ Christine chooses to belong with Raimond as his mother and Raimond accepts his mother, loving her very much, but Christine’s mental illness prevents her ability to nurture Raimond as a mother should. Horu sees this lack of attention and despises Christine because of it, asking her to leave and never come back. Although Christine wanted to belong, her mental illness affected her relationship with both Raimond and Horu. This demonstrates Christine’s inability to integrate with Australian culture. Another barrier to a sense of belonging is race.In ‘American History X’ the negroes and immigrants want to fit into the local community but because of their race the skinhead clan reject them. Similarly in ‘Romulus My Father’, upon arrival to Australia Romulus wants to be accepted by the Australian culture but initially he is not because of his foreign background. Over time Romulus is eventually accepted into the Australian community b ecause of his hard working habits. This shared value allows Romulus to integrate with Australians and form a strong sense of belonging with Australian culture.An individual’s sense of belonging is affected by the passing of time in that it can lead to an appreciation of place and culture. Initially Romulus did not like the Australian landscape – â€Å"The noble red gums†¦ seemed symbols of deprivation and barrenness†. Raimond was influenced by Romulus’ European stories and memories but over time Raimond began to show an appreciation and sense of belonging to the Australian landscape. This is shown when Raimond is about to shoot a wild rabbit but does not because he realised that the environment and nature itself is beautiful.The elapsing of time also allowed Romulus to build up a strong reputation of being a hard working blacksmith. He developed trust with Australians over time which would have been difficult given Romulus’ foreign background. Initially in Australia Romulus had little knowledge of the environment and its effects on everyday life. Romulus accidentally lit a hay stack on fire, not being familiar with the hot and dry climate. Over time Romulus was able to adapt to the Australian environment and so he no longer made mistakes and was therefore accepted by Australians as a worker.Similarly in ‘American History X’, Derek initially despises negroes, but his time and interactions in prison change his perspective of them. Derek is alienated in prison and vulnerable to assault from the negroes but Jim tells them not to harm Derek even though he is a Neo-Nazi. Derek discovers that Jim saved his life; Derek as a direct result appreciates negroes and accepts them, showing respect and friendship. Derek’s opinion on foreigners is changed by the actions of one man.From these points it becomes clear that the passing of time and the interactions of an individual with their world shape that individualâ⠂¬â„¢s sense of belonging: Constructive interactions often result in a sense of belonging whilst destructive interaction or alienation results in a decreased or no sense of belonging. Choice also affects one’s sense of belonging however choice may not always be enough as there are often barriers preventing a sense of belonging such as mental illness and race. Time can also have an impact on an individual’s appreciation of place and culture, increasing their sense of belonging.

Power, Race and Women in Othello by Shakespear and Sax

Race Shakespeare †¢ A fear of foreigners during Elizabethan times fostered misogynistic and racist values, which is evident in the way Othello’s blackness becomes a symbol of alienation to which all characters in the play must respond. †¢ Using grotesque animal imagery, Iago voices an explicitly stereotypical view of Othello, as a â€Å"Barbary horse,† depicting him as an animalistic outsider. Through the image of conflict in black and white, Iago emphasises on the racial demarcation between Othello and Desdemona, that â€Å"an old black ram is tupping your white ewe,† associating Othello with uncontrolled animalistic sexuality. Iago’s overt and vicious racism becomes representative of the reigning stereotype of the African on the†¦show more content†¦However, similar to the play, John indirectly refers Dessie to â€Å"other men’s leavings† which suggests the subordinate position of women, objectified as a part of male honour. †¢ Sax explores parallelism between Desdemona, who is anxious to present herself as a â€Å"vessel†, and Dessie who depicts herself as chaste, â€Å"I was like a blank sheet waiting for you to write your name on me†. This reflects the expectation of women of the contemporary context, untainted and pure, like a â€Å"blank sheet†, which significantly displays tendencies that resemble Elizabethan female attributes. †¢ Sax directly contrasts Lulu’s silence to Emilia’s strength. â€Å"Tis proper I obey him but not now†, declares Emilia, who defies her husband’s authority and social conventions. †¢ Both texts depict patriarchal societies, Shakespeare makes a powerful statement regarding the role of women in the 16th century and their potential strength, whereas Sax portrays women as ironically weaker in the democratic modern society Power: Both texts examine the corrupting and unstable influence of power. Shakespeare †¢ Shakespeare’s idea of the tenuous and transitory nature of power is shaped by a context where the nation was anxious due to the unexpected death of Elizabeth. †¢ It is the notion of the corruptive nature of power which Shakespeare draws on