Tartuffe Society Moliere

Tartuffe Society Moliere The Role of Reason in Tartuffe Molià ©res Tartuffe speaks volumes about reason by highlighting it in some of the main characters, while at the same time exaggerating the lack of it in others. The period known as the Enlightenment overemphasized the importance of the ability to reason, often leaving man feeling that he alone was in control of his destiny. The play is a clever satire, which attacks religious hypocrisy, gullibility, foolishness and social problems that were all present in society during the time period in which it was written. Molià ©re uses his pen as a teaching tool to point out the folly of relying only on one path to obtain knowledge, whether that path is religion, reason, or experience, and subsequently losing sight of the truth. The play begins with Madam Pernelle cutting everyone off mid-sentence and refusing to listen to anyone, while at the same time declaring that no one in the house will pay attention for a single minute. This scene sets the tone for the foolish premise of only trusting ones own ideas and perceptions. This closed mindset prevails throughout the play. The work presents the voice of reason in the lowly maid, Dorine, the less powerful brother-in-law, Clà ©ante, and the son, Damis. These three see Tartuffe for the hypocrite that he is and try in vain to convince the others of the mans clever deceptions. Dorine openly labels Tartuffe as a fraud and a bigot. She humorously describes the pious imposter as a â€Å"man of destiny† and then adds, â€Å"Hes made for horns.† This is amusing because it insinuates that he is the Devil and not a man of God. These are bold statements for a member of her class. She is much more insightful than most of the characters, but she is repeatedly told to be quiet and is referred to by Orgon as a dunce or a dunderhead. Unfortunately, the words of reason from Dorine, Clà ©ante, and Damis have no effect on Orgons or Madame Pernelles favorable impression of Tartuffe. However, these reasonable characters provide an interesting balance between themselves and the foolishness of the other charact ers. The readers introduction to the master of the household, Orgon, begins with a ridiculous conversation where Dorine reports that Elmire has been ill during his absence. Speaking almost as if he is deeply in love, Orgon is unable to even entertain thoughts of concern for anyone except Tartuffe. Orgon and Madame Pernelle are so convinced that they are endowed with the absolute truth that they are unwilling or unable to even consider the real truth. Their eyes are blind and their ears are deaf to anything that is in direct conflict with their preconceived ideas or beliefs concerning Tartuffe. Madam Pernelles obtuseness concerning Tartuffe is dwarfed by her sons complete and total devotion to the con man. They are both easily duped and vehemently refuse to allow their minds to be changed by others, which could possibility indicate an inherited naivety and hardheadedness. Mariane is more of a neutral character. She is not without the ability to reason, but feels powerless to go against her fathers wishes. In one of the early scenes, she tells her father that she will say whatever he tells her to say. This statement demonstrates the power of her fathers control. Mariane and Valà ©re both seem rather foolish when they are first discussing the possibility of her marriage to Tartuffe. Neither is voicing what they truly feel about the situation. Molià ©re uses Marianes character to point out conflicts between the parent and the child, one struggling to gain some small amount of control and the other struggling to maintain complete control of his family. The reader is made aware of other familial control issues between the in-laws, the husband and the wife, and the father and the son. For this reason, it is even more interesting that Orgon willingly turns almost all control of everything in his life over to Tartuffe. The relationship of the characters in the play mirrors some of the control struggles and problems in society at that time, only on a smaller scale. Many of these same struggles and problems still exist today in families and society. Tartuffe had been thoroughly discussed by the other characters long before he actually made his entrance. His words and actions immediately uphold the impression previously given by those who see him for what he is. As he tries to seduce Elmire, he speaks of religious matters and the secrets of science. He blatantly states that â€Å"Heaven is not averse to compromise.† When Damis tells his father of Tartuffes betrayal, oddly enough, Tartuffe does not deny it. He actually says that he is wicked and tells Orgon to charge him with any deed and adds that he will not defend himself. Orgons irrational response is to accuse Damis of being deceitful. This scene provides proof that Orgon is totally under Tartuffes spell. He refuses to believe the awful truth about Tartuffe even when it comes directly from the mans own lips. Even after Orgon is forced to see Tartuffes true character, he is unable to convince Madame Pernelle of the evil mans deceitfulness until she sees proof of his dec eption in the form of an eviction order. It is at this point that they are both chided for their stupidity by Dorine when she appears to defend Tartuffes benevolent act of liberating them from material things that might have endangered their salvation. Metaphors, allusion, and comic devices are all powerful tools used in Tartuffe to make a statement about the existence of hypocrisy and other social ills in society at that time. The play serves as a warning against the dangers of blindly accepting anything at face value. It was not meant as an insult to the religious community. This is evidenced by the fact that in the end Tartuffe is exposed as an imposter. Common sense and a willingness to consider the perceptions of others seem to be the missing components for those characters so completely duped by Tartuffe. It is important to note that social status does not dictate reason and in this play Molià ©re gives the voice of reason to the less important characters. Many people are capable of reasoning, but not all are capable of coming to the correct conclusion. The reasoning ability of the human mind is great, but reason alone is not enough to ascertain the truth in every situation.

Analyzing Dickinson’s Poetry Essay

To analyze Dickinson’s poetry, this paper will involve the analysis of three of her works, `Safe in their Alabaster Chambers†, â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz-when I died†, and â€Å"The Brain-is wider than the Sky†. 1. The poems were written in the first person. Since most of her poems tackled the depressing situation of death, the speaker of the poem can in fact be a dead person. However, it seemed that ED may also be assuming an all-observing, all-seeing speaker like God. In the Brain-is wider than the sky, it even seemed that God was in fact the speaker since â€Å"the weight of God† was compared to the â€Å"brain†.   As for the poem’s audiences, it may be that the literary works were directed towards the ‘living’ – people who are not safe within alabaster chambers and who have not heard the buzzing fly as they lay on their deathbeds. 2. In the â€Å"The Brain – is wider than the sky†, there is really no definite setting, it can be likened to any moment of rationalization. In â€Å"I heard a fly buzz when I died†, the setting was in a deathbed while it was perhaps in the cemetery for the poem â€Å"Safe in the alabaster chambers†. The situation was related to dying. It may be that the speaker is already dead, or nearing his death. Nonetheless, the action in the poems remains the same – surrendering to the abyss. 3. Most of the poems had their verbs in the present tense, and in the indicative mood. The style may be to emphasize that the speaker is actually experiencing whatever situation is being imparted in the poems. Such style makes the poems more contemporary and typical, and thus engaging to read and easier to relate to despite the fact that they were written centuries ago. The syntax may also indicate that the poems will be eternal since the action involved is always presented as a current situation. 4. In her poems, Dickinson uses two formal patterns alternatively- tetrameter and trimeter. In every stanza, the first and third lines always have four stresses while there are only three stresses in the second and fourth lines. The rhyme schemes come in the ABCB form. 5. Dickinson uses the slant rhyme in the second and fourth lines of the first two or three stanzas to provide a sense of association and form. In the last stanza however, she then uses a true rhyme also in the last words of the second and fourth stanzas to emphasize conclusions to the proposed action. 6. In â€Å"The Brain is deeper than the sky†, the phrases â€Å"The brain is† and â€Å"The one the other will† were repeated thrice and twice, respectively, to give both indicative and comparative effects. The repetition emphasizes the subject of the poem – â€Å"the brain† – and stresses its association with other elements – the sea, the sky, and the weight of God. 7. To extensively describe the subjects of her poems, Dickinson The poem contained metaphors and personifications to describe her chosen subjects. In one poem, she likened a fly to death perhaps to stress out the repugnance of not being able to experience the simple joys of living. It is also important to note that she always compared the poem’s settings to universally recognizable elements of nature. For example, she likened the stillness of being dead to â€Å"heaves of storm†. 8. The effectiveness of Dickinson’s poems in relaying thematic obsessions may rely on the fact that she uses a mixture of images to convey the setting of her works. In `Safe in their Alabaster Chambers†, Dickinson describes the situation of the dead through their inability to be â€Å"touched by morning†, feel the sunshine, and hear the birds and the bees. She also totally equates death to â€Å"soundlessness†, darkness, and numbness. The same image associations can also be observed in â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz-when I died†. However, in contrast to the first poem, the latter’s scenario of soundlessness exempted the buzzing of the fly.   In â€Å"The Brain-is wider than the Sky†, visual comparisons were made with the brain and major elements of nature. 9. In most of the poems, the speaker just describes poem subjects in relation to what she sees, feels, or hears. In the process, she narrates her observations and seemingly creates an underlying story for her works. In these stories, the climactic moment is death and the resolution is one’s total submission to the darkness and numbness of losing her life. 10. Dickinson’s poems are mostly playfully dreadful as they deal with death in relation to bees, sunshine, and castles. Death was portrayed as a very awful situation of being deprived of the small things which make living simply a pleasant experience. Although not portrayed as something gruesome, the description of a death as a natural and inevitable experience adds dread to poem’s tone.

Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Essay

Mercy is compassionate treatment, while justice is the administration of law. Justice may not necessary include mercy. Mercy is natural. Portia says that the â€Å"quality of mercy is not strained†, it is not a forced effort but something that one already possesses. Mercy cannot be forced by anyone; it is something that one must come up within himself. Like how â€Å"gentle rain† cannot be created artificially, it is sincere. Mercy also benefits the merciful. Portia says that â€Å"earth power doth then show likest God’s when mercy seasons justice†, implying that man can only become like God when he is merciful. Mercy is something that is powerful. Portia says, â€Å"scepter[s] shows the force of temporal power†¦but mercy is above this sceptered sway†, symbolizing that mercy is more powerful than mere symbols of earthly power, i.e. the crown and the scepter. Mercy is forgiving. Portia points out that God is merciful, and forgives us for our sins, and â€Å"in the course of justice none of us should see salvation†. Only with the mercy of God would they be delivered. Mercy is reciprocal, and â€Å"twice blest†, bringing good tidings to both â€Å"him that gives and him that takes†. Portia says that mercy is divine, as it â€Å"droppeth†¦from heaven† and â€Å"an attribute to God himself†. Mercy is a heavenly quality, a sacred virtue and he who has this characteristic becomes â€Å"likest God†. It is like â€Å"gentle rain from heaven†. Mercy is fair treatment to others. For example, the Duke asks Shylock to â€Å"forgive a moiety of the principal†, sympathising with Antonio as he has lost money in his wrecked investments. Justice is strict and condemning, as the place where justice is practised is  described as the â€Å"strict court of Venice†. Portia asks Shylock to â€Å"mitigate†¦thy plea†, exemplifying how justice is indeed harsh. Justice is earth-bound, dispensed and followed by Man. â€Å"No power in Venice† can alter justice, meaning that justice can be changed by heaven’s mercy. Justice is something that follows laws strictly, and is blind. Even as Shylock says, â€Å"What judgment shall I fear, doing no wrong,† he emphasizes how justice is strictly based on laws, as he has nothing to fear despite plotting against Antonio’s life as the law says he is entitled to. Justice is one-sided, and that it clearly defines a loser and winner. Shylock, who thinks that justice and mercy cannot be reconciled, decides the fate of Antonio, saying, â€Å"it is his humour†, as he has lost three thousand ducats in the deal. Justice is inflexible. As Portia states, â€Å"there is no power in Venice that can alter a decree established†, she is also hinting to Shylock that heavenly mercy is the only thing that can change justice, and it is unchangeable otherwise. Mercy is something that enhances justice, and â€Å"mercy seasons justice†. Too much mercy spoils justice, as it will thus become too lenient, but without mercy, justice is bland.

Culture Shock - 1485 Words

Daniel Dhanaraj Descriptive Essay Culture Shock: An Integration in a New Country LIBS - 7001 February 21, 2011 The word ‘CULTURE’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘CULTURA’ which means to cultivate, to grow (Harper 2010). Anthropologist Edward B. Taylor, defines culture as â€Å"That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits.† (O’Neil 2006). This is the basic premise that beliefs, morals, and customs are all based on one’s culture. In the essay, â€Å"No Place Like Home† by Neil Bissoondath, the author describes how multiculturalism creates uneasiness on different levels to immigrants in Canada. The author points that Canada’s Multicultural Act, focuses on cultural†¦show more content†¦Living in Bangalore, the food culture that I was exposed too was something I had never quite experienced before. 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Influences from North America and Europe and funding by the government has provided cities and towns all over the country with supermarkets, Walmart, that contain products from all over the world, mega shopping malls with the latest designer clothing such as Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton and many others, modern restaurants, bars, and clubs such as KFC, Subway, McDonald’s etc... In addition, people have more money to spend, especially the growing middle class as t he economy has grow rapidly since the late 90’s. I was surprised to witness, people of every ethnicity purchasing automobiles, high endShow MoreRelatedEssay on Culture Shock1163 Words   |  5 Pagesanswered with a smile â€Å"the heat is running aunty† whatever she meant I did not understand, although she spoke in English she had an American accent which took me long to adapt and decipher. My brother knowing that I will definitely experience culture shock, started giving me tidbits of what I would expect. 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