My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Essay Example

My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Essay Example My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Paper My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover Paper Essay Topic: Literature In Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess, Browning explores the male psyche by portraying two men so obsessed by domination and control that they are finally driven to kill their lovers. Written in the 19th century, these poems are set in a patriarchal society in which female subservience was expected and male supremacy absolute. In Advice to a Husband Cobbett states that A husband under command of his wife is the most contemptible of gods creatures. And it is this proclamation, viewed by many of the time that drives the protagonists of the two poems to the extremes. Despite the fact that the poems are written in dramatic monologues, the text contains certain clues which voice Brownings judgment and condemnation of the drastic actions taken by the male figures and thus societys role of trapping women under the rule of men. Neither the Duke nor the lover meet the expectations that the reader has of a protagonist of a Romantic poem. Instead Brownings presentation of flawed men as opposed to romantic heroes suggests that Browning is playing against his readers expectations. The Dukes description of his wife quickly reveals that he is a paranoid character; his speculative suggestion of what Fri Pandolf might have chanced to say reveals that he even suspects his wife of flirting with a monk. The lover is also a jealous character. He thinks that Porphyria is weak as she will not free herself from pride and vainer ties dissever, / And give herself to me forever. When the lover realises Porphyrias affections for him he becomes so crazed by power that he strangles her with the long yellow string of her own hair. In contrast to My Last Duchess, the poem makes completely clear to the reader that Porphyria is cruelly murdered by her lover. However the reader is led to suspect that a similar crime also occurs in My Last Duchess. The Dukes language is clinical and free from emotion as he declares I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together. In both poems, the men blame Porphyria and the Duchess for their own deaths due to what is deemed to be inexcusable behaviour. Browning however allows the reader to oppose the perspective of the male personas. In Porphyrias Lover the lovers descriptions of vainer ties are vague, so could be anything from another man to a social life excluding him. But as the reader is morally judgemental, no reason would be sufficient for murder. Even the lover himself feels the need to reassure himself of his action by saying No pain felt she; / I am quite sure she felt no pain. He also seems to fear Gods judgment as he says And yet God has not said a word! In My Last Duchess the Dukes reasoning for his wifes death shows irrational jealousy. He not only feels threatened by other men but of things, animals and even of the sunset which he describes as The dropping of the daylight in the West. As in Porphyrias Lover the reader does not believe the Duchess deserves her fate despite the fact that it is told from the Dukes point of view. His broken sentences show elements of self-doubt and he cannot clearly convey his argument for his partners death. Somehow I know not how It also appears that he senses his irrationality because he first states Whod stoop to blame / This sort of trifling? yet he continues to do just that. The Duke kills his wife in order to stop her looking as her looks went everywhere. This is because her role as wife is to be looked at, not to look at others. In death she is immortalised by means of a portrait in which she is trapped looking as if alive purely showing her husbands success through her beauty. The Duke regains the control that he thought he had lost by keeping his wife hidden: since none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you but I. The Duke murders his wife because he refuses to lower himself: I chose / Never to stoop. This idea of hierarchy between men and women is also portrayed in Porphyrias Lover. Porphyria feels she has to provocatively offer herself in order to cheer her lover which is described by the male persona as stooping. The lover also states Porphyria worshipped me which conveys his heightened sense of ownership similar to the Dukes emotions when viewing the portrait of his wife. The lovers proclamation That moment she was mine, mine shows the power he holds over Porphyria and subsequently he kills her. In her death Porphyria becomes perfect to him as now he has total control. The Lover uses Porphyrias corpse like a puppet, positioning her to create different scenes: I propped her head up as before / Only, this time my shoulder bore / Her head And thus we sit together now / And all night long we have not stirred. These grotesque actions give the reader the impression that the Lover is dramatising their lives together singlehandedly, perhaps to ensure that nothing will ruin their eternity together. He even continues to create her emotions and wishes for her. When doing this he objectifies her further by referring to her as it. So glad it has its utmost will Although the Duke does not literally use his wifes body as an object like Porphyrias Lover, he uses the portrait he commissioned as a means of enjoying the visual aspects of his wife without having to deal with soul underneath. I call / That piece a wonder now shows clearly how the Duke believes his wife merely to be a possession of his. However unlike Porphyrias Lover, The Dukes perfection is somewhat tainted by the fact that another man painted her with a look of depth and passion which reveals the personality underneath the face. In this patriarchal environment in which My Last Duchess was set women and paintings were often considered to be the same as they are both commodities which show the wealth and success of a husband. Beautiful paintings showed that the husband could afford a talented artist and beautiful women came with smaller dowries thus showing that the male figure could meet the expense of his wife. The personas justifications for the murder of their partners are so weak that it is clear that Browning clearly deemed the male view that the best wife is a dead woman to be immoral. The characters personalities and the radical action taken provoke anger and shock within the reader and cause pity for the deceased women as Browning allows the reader to draw the conclusion that they were undeserving of their death. Not only does the murder seem unjust, but the way the male personas treat their dead lovers after their death stimulates bitterness. The Lovers manipulating of Porphyrias body presents a grotesque image whereas the Dukes use of his wifes portrait as a means of showing his power and success shows his character to be egotistical.

The Factorial (!) in Mathematics and Statistics

The Factorial (!) in Mathematics and Statistics In mathematics, symbols that have certain meanings in the English language can mean very specialized and different things. For example, consider the following expression: 3! No, we did not use the exclamation point to show that we’re excited about three, and we shouldn’t read the last sentence with emphasis. In mathematics, the expression 3! is read as three factorial and is really a shorthand way to denote the multiplication of several consecutive whole numbers. Since there are many places throughout mathematics and statistics where we need to multiply numbers together, the factorial is quite useful. Some of the main places where it shows up are combinatorics and probability calculus. Definition The definition of the factorial is that for any positive whole number n, the factorial: n! n x (n -1) x (n - 2) x . . . x 2 x 1 Examples for Small Values First we will look at a few examples of the factorial with small values of n: 1! 12! 2 x 1 23! 3 x 2 x 1 64! 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 245! 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 1206! 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 7207! 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 50408! 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 403209! 9 x 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 36288010! 10 x 9 x 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 3628800 As we can see the factorial gets very large very quickly. Something that may seem small, such as 20! actually has 19 digits. Factorials are easy to compute, but they can be somewhat tedious to calculate. Fortunately, many calculators have a factorial key (look for the ! symbol). This function of the calculator will automate the multiplications. A Special Case One other value of the factorial  and one for which the standard definition above does not hold is that of zero factorial. If we follow the formula, then we would not arrive at any value for 0!. There are no positive whole numbers less than 0. For several reasons, it is appropriate to define 0! 1. The factorial for this value shows up particularly in the formulas for combinations and permutations. More Advanced Calculations When dealing with calculations, it is important to think before we press the factorial key on our calculator. To calculate an expression such as 100!/98! there are a couple of different ways of going about this. One way is to use a calculator to find both 100! and 98!, then divide one by the other. Although this is a direct way to calculate, it has some difficulties associated with it. Some calculators cannot handle expressions as large as 100! 9.33262154 x 10157. (The expression 10157 is a scientific notation that means that we multiply by 1 followed by 157 zeros.) Not only is this number massive, but it is also only an estimate to the real value of 100! Another way to simplify an expression with factorials like the one seen here does not require a calculator at all. The way to approach this problem is to recognize that we can rewrite 100! not as 100 x 99 x 98 x 97 x . . . x 2 x 1, but instead as 100 x 99 x 98! The expression 100!/98! now becomes (100 x 99 x 98!)/98! 100 x 99 9900.

The significance of the lady in Black and her two Lovers Essay

The significance of the lady in Black and her two Lovers - Essay Example What Walker is also suggesting is that the feminist strivings are not exclusive of broader political seeking of equality. Indeed, the two causes are intricately connected and partly explain why Vyry and her two lovers are showcased in same scenes in the novel. (Graham 96) Apart from this symbolic display of solidarity, another reason why these characters appear together is to contrast their different mindsets and attitudes. In other words, there seem to be diversity of personality and character within the larger common objective of freedom. To illustrate, in one passage Innis Brown responding to his wife Vyry states â€Å"Just like you can make candles and soap and feather beds, rag rugs, and quilts, and spin and weave and sew, and cooking was your main job, I learned to do a lot, of things sides working in the fields." (Walker as quoted in Cash 78) The message here is one of establishing the dichotomy between the masculine and the feminine. The other dichotomies that these pairings bring out are those of â€Å"black versus white, rich versus poor, empowered versus disempowered, enslaved versus free†. (Beaulieu 15) Margaret Walker, writing in the middle of the twentieth century, factors an additional pair into the list, namely, legally enslaved versus legally free. One crucial way in which the genre of slave narrative is revised in Jubilee is the attention paid to the personal (especially the romantic) facets of Vyry’s difficult life. This is accomplished by showcasing the relationship between Vyry and her two lovers at several points in the work. Vyry’s loyalties are thoroughly tested as she is made to choose between â€Å"her loyalty to her first husband and her white family and loyalty to her second husband and her children. She is guided by her Christian ethics in arriving at a practical rather than radical resolution of the conflict.† (Bell 289) Her great virtues are best illustrated as she

Greek-Orthodox religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Greek-Orthodox religion - Research Paper Example Byzantine Christianity, which is the base of Greek Orthodoxy, is built with a combination of Christian and Hellenic heritage and is marked by â€Å"its liturgy, use of religious images (icons), veneration of saints and relics, monastic practices, and imperial grandeur† (Laderman and Leon, 294). The term orthodoxy represents, â€Å"proper glorification of God through appropriate worship† (Makrides, 66). The â€Å"defining feature† of Orthodox Christianity can be put more precisely as, â€Å"doctrinal correctness† (Makrides, 66). It also has its own â€Å"ritual tradition and institutional structures† (Makrides, 66). The basic theological premise of this strain of Christianity is not completed simply with a â€Å"belief in one Christian God† but has to be â€Å"the correct (â€Å"Orthodox†) belief in the one true and Trinitarian Christian God† (Makrides, 66). For Greek Orthodox religion, the ultimate salvation of the faithful is à ¢â‚¬Å"dependent on upholding the sole correct Christian faith, uncontaminated from deviant interpretations and influences† (Makrides, 66). The Greek Orthodox believers declare that they are the preservers of Christianity in its pure and correct form. They have drawn their theological beliefs and rituals from the seven Ecumenical Councils held between 325 and 787 and claim that they are preserving Christianity in the pure form as established by the Apostles (Makrides, 67). When a deep study is made into Orthodox Christianity, it can be seen that Greek Orthodoxy has a more profound sense of ecology than any other Christian religious system. In the present scenario of environmental destruction and predictions of global warming, it is the theology of Greek Orthodoxy that can lead human kind to evolve a comprehensive Christian ecology, which can impart a platform for our interactions with nature. The Trinitarian relationships as is delineated in Greek Orthodoxy can become the basis for deriving an ecological perspective based on Orthodoxy. The â€Å"relationships† itself establishes the relational aspect of the â€Å"very being of things† (Edwards and Worthing, 99). These relations are again, profoundly anchored in the â€Å"Trinitarian relationships of mutual love† (Edwards and Worthing, 99). The logic behind this supposition is that â€Å"if the Creator’s being is radically relational, then this suggests something about the nature of created reality† (Edwards and Worthing, 99). This is why Greek Orthodox theologian, John Zizioulas is quoted as saying, â€Å"it is communion that makes things be: nothing exists without it, not even God† (as cited in Edwards and Worthing, 99). From this theological background arises the notion that human and all other living creatures are â€Å"radically inter-relational and interdependent† (Edwards and Worthing, 100). And God is defined as all creatures in communion (Edwards an d Worthing, 100). Hence, Orthodoxy states that â€Å"the distinction between creator and creation is dissolved† which presents humans as embedded in nature, in God (Edwards and Worthing, 114). It is evident from the above discussion that while Western Christianity is rightfully criticized for being created the human-nature duality, and the notion that God has created nature to serve the humans, Eastern Orthodoxy resolves that dualism. It has a more environmentally realistic notion about this topic, as is delineated by White who wrote about this subject in the website, www.asa3.org. White has elaborated this argument by putting Greek Orthodoxy against Christian anthropocentrism. He (White) said: The Greeks believed that sin was intellectual blindness, and that salvation was found in

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Essay Example for Free

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Essay Holden Caulfield in, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, lives a troubled life of not really caring about the repercussions of his actions. Holden’s beliefs on life are very narrow minded and he is very judgmental of everyone around him. Holden also has a strong belief that mostly everyone in the world is a phony. This ties into Holden’s wants of becoming a catcher in the rye when he is older. In the future Holden wants to become the catcher in the rye to save children from falling into the rye. This idea of doing this came into Holden’s mind after hearing the poem by Robert Burns. Holden thinks that the poem says â€Å"If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye,† but the actual lyric is â€Å"If a body meet a body, coming through the rye.†The original poem is about two adults meeting in the rye, Holden misconstrues this line and thinks that it means someone catching someone in the rye, which Holden wants to do. Holden wants to stand on the edge of the cliff and catch the children from falling. This is symbolic of Holden wanting to save himself along with other children having to grow up in a world that he believes to be phony. Holden wants to catch the kids before they lose their innocence and fall into an adult world with adult beliefs. By Holden wanting to be The Catcher in the Rye, it is symbolic throughout the book and how he doesn’t want to grow up and tries to avoid everyone who is phony. He doesn’t want children to lose their innocence because it is something pure that only lasts temporarily. Holden’s wish to be the â€Å"catcher in the rye† is significant to explaining who Holden is as a person. After the reader finds out what Holden wants to become when he is older you get a better understanding of Holden and his beliefs. In a world that is all phony to him, he just wants to live. Even though he may not want to hurt any feelings, he comes off very rude. Allies death was a turning point in Holden’s life and changed everything. This truly troubles Holden and is shown throughout the story, such as when he no longer cares about his studies or school. Allies death causes him to become very troubled in life and disregard the good of his own life. When Holden says he wants to be the catcher in the rye, not only does he want to save kids innocence but he doesn’t want to face adult hood as well. Living in a phony world will ruin the innocence of children that doesn’t last forever. As the reader can see, Holden is a very troubled boy growing up in a â€Å"phony† world. A kid wanting to protect children from losing innocence will happen when Holden becomes the Catcher in the rye. As a symbolic theme throughout the whole book it is a symbol of Holden not wanting to grow up as well.

The History of Rap Music :: Rap Music Jamaican Culture Essays

The History of Rap Music Rap music originated as a cross-cultural product. Most of its important early practitioners-including Kool Herc, D.J. Hollywood, and Afrika Bambaataa-were either first- or second-generation Americans of Caribbean ancestry. Herc and Hollywood are both credited with introducing the Jamaican style of cutting and mixing into the musical culture of the South Bronx. By most accounts Herc was the first DJ to buy two copies of the same record for just a 15-second break (rhythmic instrumental segment) in the middle. By mixing back and forth between the two copies he was able to double, triple, or indefinitely extend the break. In so doing, Herc effectively deconstructed and reconstructed so-called found sound, using the turntable as a musical instrument. While he was cutting with two turntables, Herc would also perform with the microphone in Jamaican toasting style-joking, boasting, and using myriad in-group references. Herc's musical parties eventually gained notoriety and were often documented on cassette tapes that were recorded with the relatively new boombox, or blaster, technology. Taped duplicates of these parties rapidly made their way through the Bronx, Brooklyn, and uptown Manhattan, spawning a number of similar DJ acts. Among the new breed of DJs was Afrika Bambaataa, the first important Black Muslim in rap. (The Muslim presence would become very influential in the late 1980s.) Bambaataa often engaged in sound-system battles with Herc, similar to the so-called cutting contests in jazz a generation earlier. The sound system competitions were held at city parks, where hot-wired street lamps supplied electricity, or at local clubs. Bambaataa sometimes mixed sounds from rock-music recordings and television shows into the standard funk and disco fare that Herc and most of his followers relied upon. By using rock records, Bambaataa extended rap beyond the immediate reference points of contemporary black youth culture. By the 1990s any sound source was considered fair game and rap artists borrowed sounds from such disparate sources as Israeli folk music, bebop jazz records, and television news broadcasts. In 1976 Grandmaster Flash introduced the technique In 1979 the first two rap records appeared: "King Tim III (Personality Jock)," recorded by the Fatback Band, and "Rapper's Delight," by Sugarhill Gang. A series of verses recited by the three members of Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight" became a national hit, reaching number 36 on the Billboard magazine popular music charts. The spoken content, mostly braggadocio spiced with fantasy, was derived largely from a pool of material used by most of the earlier rappers. The backing track for "Rapper's Delight" was supplied by hired studio musicians, who replicated

Rather the officials should have spoken

In the essay the author is attempting to protect the rights of free speech through persuasion rather than through threats and intimidations. In promoting his views, the author cites the example of an incident that took place at Harvard.It is the author’s contention that the university officials should not have enforced their rules on the offending students. Rather the officials should have spoken with the students in order to help them understand the effect that their action would have on the rest of the community. In developing his perspective, the author brings to light the dilemma that the first amendment presents in allowing such displays. However the author also suggests a way out. He is asking the university officials not to enforce any kind of rules on such displays.It is his contention that such a course of action will only generate more interest in such behaviors and therefore a vicious cycle will result. In other words, the author is suggesting that the university of ficial should not create too much publicity in dealing with such an issue.The author’s purpose in the essay is to explore the different ways in which arguments over free speech can be resolved. The incident that he mentions has to do with some students hanging a confederate flag in view.The First Amendment permits this. However it offends other members of the community. Therefore this is a difficult issue to resolve. On the one hand, university officials should not restrict the expression of free speech. On the other hand, they cannot allow freedom of speech to offend other members of the community.The author also mentions that some communities have enacted codes to resolve such situations while others have refused to impose such restrictions. The author’s purpose in this essay is to find a middle way. This is because enacting codes will only generate more interest in the area so that people will resort to more extreme forms of free speech.Refusing to impose restrictio ns will also not solve the problem because in this case the rights of free speech will be abused. The purpose of the author in this essay is to suggest a different way in which the issues raised can be resolved.In promoting his views, the author is citing examples of an incident that occurred at Harvard. This incident forms the core of this essay. Resolving the issues raised in this situation forms the structure of the essay. In developing the structure, the author draws upon the First Amendment to resolve the issue.However he brings to light how the First Amendment fails to resolve the situation that arose at Harvard. Therefore he argues for a greater level of communication with the students in order to help them decide for themselves whether what they did was right or wrong. The author believes that this is the only way for the university officials to resolve the situation with the minimum of publicity.The author believes that the publicity that will result from enforcing restrict ions will have the opposite effect. Therefore the university officials should try to resolve the issue internally by talking to the students. In presenting his views, the author argued the validity of imposing restrictions when such restrictions will only create more interest in the problem.The author clearly sympathizes with the students’ right to do what they did. However he seeks to communicate the importance of talking to the students in order to help them understand why what they could be considered subversive. He brings to light the fact that the students are clearly in their rights to hang the flag as it is permitted by the First Amendment.However he also argues over the inappropriateness of this action. He advises against enforcing restrictions. He believes that this will only create more awareness of this problem so that other students will be interested to create similar situations.Clearly it is in the university officials’ interest to minimize the number of these incidents and to that end, the university officials should resolve such situations privately by discussing the issues with the students.Therefore the author seeks to find a third way other than enforcing codes or doing nothing. In this respect, he stresses the importance of maintaining the balance between free speech and mutual respect. He says that this objective can be met through education and persuasion.