Both Auden and Watson effectively form representations and perspectives through the implementation of techniques within their texts. Auden actively uses poetic techniques to display his own negative perspective regarding the power of dictators in "Epitaph of a Tyrant". Auden immediately creates an ambiguous environment as the first line states how dictators are after "perfection, of a kind". The slight pause after perfection satirises its positive connotation casting doubt upon the reader questioning what type of perfection that the dictators wanted. In addition, Auden further demonstrates his negative perspective through the comment on the amount of knowledge the dictators know; "[Dictators] knew human folly like the back of [their] hand".
In his view, the end to political instability justifies the means no matter how shady they may be. He states, “Many have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality. For there is such a difference between the way men live and the way they ought to live.... because anyone who determines to act in all circumstances the part of a good man must come to ruin among so many who are not good.” (Machiavelli p.186) Many of the virtues advocated for in The Prince are apparent in Claudius’ character from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet tells of the various activities that take place during a questionable shift of royal power in Denmark. It is the acquisition and maintenance of this power that shows just how Machiavellian Claudius’ character is in the play.
Finally, a cartoon about the Occupy Wall Street movement describes how the truth can mislead and warp meaning, thus creating perspectives that generate diverse and provocative insights. The role reputation plays is an idea that influences perceptions relevant to conflicting perspectives. In The Justice Game, Robertson accentuates his own perspective by juxtaposing the more progressive attitudes of his side of the case. Sarcastically, Robertson writes, referring to Judge Michael Argyle’s “novel campaign to end burglary by sentencing burglars to prison for life.”The word ‘novel’ provides sarcasm from the beginning, by discrediting Judge Michael Argyle QC, and pointing out that Argyle is a failed politician, ‘whose judgeship was a career consolation for the Tory MP he had tried several times to become’. Hence, Robertson’s perceptions influence the readers’ mind, which is exactly what he wants, and he continues to sway the reader’s perspective.
Margaret Atwood’s speech “Spotty Handed Villainesses” explores Patriarchy, feminism and “bad” women in literature. She uses wit and humour to disarm the audience and often uses anti-climatic statements to grab the audience’s attention. Margaret Atwood’s speech resonates through time with her critical study of feminism in a social context and the impact that feminism has had on literature. In the speech Atwood explores the moral dichotomy that exists in Women at the time. She shows how women can only be categorised as either an angel or a whore.
The writer of this article talks about how the basement isn’t just a hiding place for a Jew or a refuge to learn but it is a place to rebel against authority when Max transforms it into a setting for creative/political activity by painting over Hitler’s Mein Kampf erasing Hitler’s authority and becoming his own authority. Maslin, Janet. “Stealing to Settle a Score with Life.” New York Times, Published by Janet Maslin, Monday 27 March 2006. Wednesday 30 April 2014. This article is a review on the book itself; however the article also talks about important points involving the main character Liesel Meminger “the book thief” and how they dealt with life during the war.
Like Thoreau, Dr. King feels that there is an innate good in all people, and knows that the collective cannot idly sit by while their compatriots are done an injustice. At the exact same time, however, Dr. King is aware of the effects of psychological deindividuation found in group settings when he acknowledges that “groups tend to be more immoral than individuals” ( 12). This statement is more an attack on the white oppressors than anything else. Through deindividuation, Dr. King reduces his opponents to faceless masses incapable of thinking for themselves, but rather are subject to the mob mentality. Dr. King recognizes that this is a potential flaw in collective action, but the justice pursued by his movement prevents his collective from such ill effects.
The aberrant perspective of Gilgamesh which I am presenting may seem divergent and atypical when analysed in accordance to our modern values and principles, but to Gilgamesh this would be quite natural. The values and ethics that contemporary readers hold shape their perspective of characters as they respond in various ways to the adventures that said characters undertake. A perfect example of this is when the narrator speaks of the state of Uruk and says “No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all”. From this, the contemporary audience frames Gilgamesh as an immoral tyrant, as their value of free will is being challenged. However, Gilgamesh’s intentions were in the interest of the people, as he moulded the sons into warriors to protect the city.
The Disdain of Total Equality Total equality may seem fair and justifiable in the eyes of some people, but in many cases it turns out to be little more than a form of oppression, in which a group of people limit the abilities of others. Throughout the story Vonnegut speaks of this necessity for equality and the means that the government goes to achieve it by using devices called ‘handicaps’; one example of this is George’s earpiece, “A buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm.” Vonnegut’s simile here creates a sort of loud diction, which expresses the sheer discomfort invoked by these restraints on the person wearing them. The governing body in this society views this as the solution to a problem, one that happens to be relatively impossible to solve, this is how Vonnegut incorporates satire into his story. He is poking fun at the age old concept of ‘equality,’ one that has inspired wars and movements alike; he accomplishes this by creating a system to make everyone equal, a system that happens to be just as stupid as the idea of ‘total equality.’ Under this system equality is achieved, but it is at the cost of individual freedom and a society full of stupid people, this in-turn creates the situational irony found in the story.
Graphic Organizer | Introduction | What is your opinion on the topic posed? What other thoughts will you include in the opening of your opinion piece?I definitely think that the allure of power leads people to behave in poor and unethical ways. When power gets to people’s heads, they go crazy. Macbeth, the speaker in the Second Coming states that only powerful people are happy and dictatorships. | Body paragraphs (one paragraph per reason) | Three reasons why you feel that way and real-world examples or quotations for the text you will use as support: Reason 1: When Macbeth found out he had a chance at being king, he didn’t want to let anyone in his way.
Key points on Rebecca L. Walkowitz Rebecca L. Walkwoitz starts her article by giving us Coetzee’s “Diary of a Bad Year” as an example of what she calls Comparison Literature. Coetzee’s novel meets the criteria of comparison literature due to its circulation and production formally, typographically and thematically. Rebecca goes on to state clearly the difference between the field of national literature in which the scholars share the locus of production, and the field of comparative literature in which scholars share a structure of analysis. In Rebecca’s point of view, two requirements are necessary for comparison literature: First, new geographic lines are to be drawn for the literary works. Second, preserving the study within the historical context including the different editions and translations.