Monday, January 27, 2020

William Shakespeare Sonnet

William Shakespeare Sonnet Comparisons between Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smiths 10 Things I Hate About You and William Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew and references to William Shakespeares â€Å"Sonnet 141† Numerous different people have adapted or remade William Shakespeares work The Taming of the Shrew since he wrote it. One of those adaptations is Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smiths 10 Things I Hate About You and has many direct and indirect references to Shakespeares The Taming†¦. First off, the similarity in the naming of the primary characters, the two sisters in The Taming†¦ are named Katherina and Bianca, in 10 Things†¦ Katarina and Bianca. In 10 Things†¦ the girls last name is Stratford undoubtedly a reference to Stratford-Upon-Avon where Shakespeare was born. Petruchio of Verona in The Taming†¦ closely resembles Patrick Verona of 10 Things†¦ The story lines mirror each other closely. Shakespeares Lucentio wants to marry Bianca but is unable to until her older sister is first wed. In 10 Things†¦ Joey is in the same situation wanting to date Bianca but she is unable to until her older sister starts dating. In both works, Petruchio and Patrick are relatively unknowns from out of town. In The Taming†¦ Hortensio has disguised himself as a music teacher, so that he can spend time with Bianca and woo her secretly. Looking at 10 Things†¦ Cameron becomes a French tutor to Bianca because he wants to be around Bianca and hopes to woo her as well. There are other points in 10 Things†¦ that reference Shakespeare, in Wikipedia it is noted that; At several points the characters also either directly quote Shakespeare or allude to his style of writing in their own speech, typically for comedic value. For example, upon seeing Bianca for the first time, Cameron declares, â€Å"I burn, I pine, I perish!† (10 things) Which is a direct quote from The Taming†¦ that Lucento says in Act I scene i. Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio, If I achieve not this young modest girl. Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst: Assist me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt (The Taming). What Lucento is saying is that he wants to wed Bianca and he is asking Tranio, his servant, how he can achieve this. Continuing from Wikipedia, â€Å"Also, when Michael pulls out on his motorbike in front of [Katarina] and she apprehends him, he calls her the shrew.† (10 things) I found this to be very interesting as many modern students have a very hard time relating to Shakespeare. This was a very bold move by Lutz and Smith and in 10 Things†¦ they really pulled it off well in that I did not even notice it the first few times that I watched it. Once I did notice this, I felt that the bringing the classics to the modern screen enhanced this movie even more. Katharina has the homework assignment to write her own version of Shakespeares â€Å"Sonnet 141†. Her poem â€Å"10 things I hate about you† obviously becomes the title of the movie. The first two lines of â€Å"Sonnet 141† read, â€Å"In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, For they in thee a thousand errors note;† (Sonnet) What it seems that Shakespeare is saying I love you but not for your physical beauty in Katharinas version she states, â€Å"I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair† (10 things). Not an exact match but her poem reflects what Shakespeare was conveying in â€Å"Sonnet 141† which I see as, you are not perfect but I love you in so many ways nonetheless. This can also be seen in next two lines of â€Å"Sonnet 141† â€Å"But tis my heart that loves what they despise,Who, in despite of view, is pleasd to dote.† (Sonnet) Which say that no matter what some see I will dote on you because my heart loves what others may not like. The rest of â€Å"Sonnet 141† is much the same just stated much more eloquently by Shakespeare. The last line of Katharinas version is,â€Å"But mostly I hate the way I dont hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all† (10 Things) This is in essence exactly what Shakespeare says in â€Å"Sonnet 141† just taking the reverse, he loves her yet he cannot say why and Kat says I should hate you but I do not. There are other correlations between 10 Things I Hate About You and The Taming of the Shrew beyond what I have shown here. I believe that this was an excellent modernizing of a truly great work of Shakespeares. 10 Things†¦ uses a classic story bringing it to a new generation even if they do not realize it. Most will agree that the movie was purely for entertainment but who knows they may have learned something along the way. Work Cited 10 Things I Hate About You. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Mar 2007, 18:30 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Mar 2007. d=112609421>. Sonnet 141. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Jan 2007, 01:35 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 5 Mar 2007. . The Taming of the Shrew. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Mar 2007, 19:02 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Mar 2007. 12378181>. I have included both Kats poem from 10 Things†¦ and â€Å"Sonnet 141† Kats 10 Things I Hate About You I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way youre always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when youre not around, and the fact that you didnt call. But mostly I hate the way I dont hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. Sonnet 141 by William Shakespeare In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, For they in thee a thousand errors note; But tis my heart that loves what they despise, Who, in despite of view, is pleasd to dote. Nor are mine ears with thy tongues tune delighted; Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone. Nor taste nor smell desire to be invited To any sensual feast with thee alone: But my five wits nor my five senses can Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee, Who leaves unswayd the likeness of a man, Thy proud hearts slave and vassal wretch to be: Only my plague thus far I count my gain, That she that makes me sin awards me pain

Saturday, January 18, 2020

The Concept of Justice

Socrates and Aristotle both have contrasting views of the concept of justice which serves to influence their notions of an ideal constitution. The abstract, speculative ideas of Socrates will be compared and contrasted with the practical, sensory ones of Aristotle in matters concerning justice and politics. Both Aristotle and Socrates disagree with regards to the definition of justice and what qualities are attributed to a just person. According to Aristotle, a just person must follow the law and refrain from greed. In the opinion of Socrates, greed consists of taking more than what is required to survive. He stresses the importance of prudence and temperance in the lives of a just person. Aristotle, however, states that a greedy person is someone who does not understand the difference between taking what is good and what is not good. A wealthy person can also be just. Aristotle provides two different types of justice which he labels distributive and rectifactory justice. Distributive justice is concerned with the distribution of money, honour, and other resources amongst those who have a share in public organization. Equality is of the greatest importance when distributing goods. Rectifactory justice concerns transactions between individuals in which both parties mutually exchange goods or services. Through both of these means Aristotle seeks to provide justice in the written law of his polis which is devoted to the advantage of all. However, Socrates views justice as the harmonious parts of the person or of a city. A just man, therefore, is in just the right place and doing his best to perform his function. He claims that the function of a human being is deliberation, ruling, living, and taking care of things. The ideas of Aristotle differ greatly from this perspective. He states that the human function is to perform activities that express reason. Socrates views his ideal city in which every person performs his or her function. His views pertain to the community in which a person lives while Aristotle’s views are more individualistic as someone who expresses reason in his logic can do so without other people or his community. In the Republic, Socrates attempts to illustrate his views with the parable of the ship. The unjust city is like an open ocean crewed by a powerful but drunken captain (representing the ignorant common people), a group of untrustworthy advisors (politicians), and a navigator (the philosopher). The only way the ship will reach its destination, the good, is if the navigator takes charge. Philosophers, who are lovers of wisdom, should rule because they understand what is good and just. It is also the opinion of Socrates that people who have been the victims of injustice are more likely to become unjust themselves. He disagrees with the notion that returning debts owed, helping friends, and harming enemies are not suitable reasons for doing injustice: â€Å"So if someone tells us it is just to give to each what he is owed and understands by this that a just man should harm his enemies and benefit his friends, the one who says it is not wise. I mean, what he says is not true. For it has become clear to us that it is never just to harm anyone† (Plato, Republic, 335e). A wise person would understand that it is not beneficial to his soul to do injustice only to his enemies. A wise person, according to Socrates would never harm anyone. He maintains that a kind just ruler judges what is best for his people and holds their interests in greater esteem than his friends or family: â€Å"†¦ No one in any position of rule†¦ considers or enjoins what is advantageous for himself, but what is advantageous for his subjects† (Plato, Republic, 342e). A ruler who performs acts of injustice is, by nature, more prone to corruption and tyranny. In this way he gives increased support to his argument concerning philosophers as rulers of the polis. Socrates and Aristotle also differ in their opinions as to which form of government is best to rule the polis. Socrates defends the notion that the city would best be governed by the philosopher-kings; a group of people who had endured rigorous mental and physical training for the majority of their lives. They would govern together as a group or an oligarchy. Aristotle recognizes the fact that it is possible for an oligarchy to degenerate into a tyranny, which is the worst possible state. He recommends the formation of a polity or a democracy as the lesser of two evils. Socrates draws a fine line between ignorance and wisdom. It is, in fact, recognizing what one does not know from what one knows. Therefore, if one cannot recognize the virtue of justice, one must be said to be ignorant: â€Å"†¦ if justice is indeed wisdom and virtue, it will be easy to show, I suppose, that it is stronger than injustice, since injustice is ignorance† (Plato, Republic, 351a). Wisdom is undoubtedly the more esteemed when compared with ignorance and consequently justice must be better esteemed than injustice. However, Socrates is confronted with arguments in favour of injustice. He attempts to defend justice as being more profitable than injustice: â€Å"†¦ that to do injustice is naturally good and to suffer injustice bad†¦ The best is to do injustice without paying the penalty; the worst is to suffer it without taking revenge† (Plato, Republic, 358e). In other words, it is acceptable and encouraged for someone to perform acts of injustice as long as he is not found out and does not suffer the consequences. If however, an act of injustice is carried out against someone, it is the duty of the victim to take revenge on him. Socrates points out that this course of action leads only to unimportant material gain. Thrasymachus claims that committing acts of injustice without being caught is more profitable to one’s reputation and would allow one to achieve more. Socrates acknowledges that although a person engaging in injustice will most likely become wealthy in physical attributes, he lacks the fundamental virtues and characteristics of a good man. The virtue of something is the state or property that makes it good. For instance, the virtue of a man may include his intelligence, courage, or sense of justice. Justice, in this case, is a moral behaviour which is said to belong to virtuous people. Therefore, justice itself is a virtue. Thrasymachus’ argument has no merit because a man who strives to achieve more by acquiring material wealth through committing acts of injustice lacks the more esteemed virtues of wisdom and justice. It is also the opinion of Socrates that just people are happier and live better lives than unjust ones. He is, of course, talking about the happiness of the soul rather than its shell, the body. Much as the virtue of the eyes is to see and the virtue of the ears to hear, the virtue of the soul is justice: â€Å"†¦ ustice is a soul’s virtue and justice its vice† (Plato, Republic, 353e). It is more profitable for a person to be just than unjust, as he will be giving his soul its virtue and therefore living a happy life. Better is the poor man with a good just soul than the rich man who has made his wealth through vice with a tainted soul. However, it must be pointed out that although Socrates claims that justice leads to happiness, he deprives the rulers of his city of happiness, though they are supposed to be trained in justice and wisdom. As Aristotle states: â€Å"†¦ ven though Socrates deprives the guardians of their happiness, he says that the legislator should make the whole city-state happy. But it is impossible for the whole to be happy unless all, most, are some of its parts are happy† (Aristotle, Politics, 1264b). Socrates thought it was crucial that the guardians were not given the sort of happiness which would no longer make them guardians. For a potter who is given jewels and riches no longer practices the art of pottery and so is no longer considered a potter. Likewise, a guardian must not be given wealth or earthly comforts but remain content with his role. Aristotle argues that even if the guardian class is not happy, it is impossible for the craftsmen, farmers, and lower classes to be happy. Without happiness, there is no justice. Socrates also claims that just people are able to work together in order to achieve a common goal. He maintains that just people working together are able to get along without doing injustice amongst themselves: â€Å"†¦ just people are wiser and better and more capable of acting, while unjust ones are not even able to act together† (Plato, Republic, 352c). Injustice causes factions, hatreds, and quarrels among people and friends. A band of robbers with a common unjust purpose would not be able to achieve it if they are unjust amongst themselves. Injustice provides conditions in which it is impossible for people to work together. Therefore, injustice prevents the different parts of the soul from working together toward a common goal. In the case of friendship and justice, Socrates and Aristotle seem to be in mutual accord. Aristotle believes friendship and comradeship to be one of the key components of leading a good life. He viewed justice as the equitability or fairness in interpersonal relations. Virtuous habits can be acquired within a moral community which ultimately leads to a virtuous and moral life. Socrates believes that the nature of the state is analogous with the nature of the individual and the nature of the soul. The soul comprises of three key principles which he calls reason, appetite, and spirit. Justice in the individual is harmony among the principles of the soul achieved by rationality and reason. He believes that the guardians have achieved harmony within their souls and so must be considered just. Since the faculties of an individual correspond on a smaller scale to that of the state, justice must also exist in the individual. Socrates believes in unity, as expressed by his confidence in the ability of just people to work together and of the family structure in the Republic. Women and children are to be shared communally by the guardians. No one woman, child, or possession is to belong to one man but rather to be shared by the whole. The well-being of the polis is placed before the well-being of an individual. Aristotle agrees that unity needs to be present to a certain extent within a city but alleges that a man who can call something his own takes more pride in it. He loves a son he can call his own more than a boy who is a son of every man. He also takes more pride in his work when he knows that what he is producing will benefit himself and his family. Socrates claims that temperance is the path to happiness and virtue and a person should only own what he needs to live temperately. Aristotle disagrees with this notion and states that it is possible to live temperately and wretchedly; the lack of property does not necessarily lead to a good life. A good person can be good even independently of the society. However, a good person is a good citizen and a good citizen can exist only as a part of the social structure. In this way, the state is, in a sense, prior to the citizen. It is evident Socrates and Aristotle share the common belief that justice is undoubtedly more beneficial than injustice. However, their definitions of justice vary greatly. The main and most crucial difference between the perspectives of Aristotle and Socrates is their view of friendship and unity. Aristotle believes that the virtue of justice encompasses all other virtues because it treats the interactions between people rather than just the dispositions of the individual. Socrates believes that the virtue of justice is first and foremost beneficial to one’s soul. Despite their contrasting views, both Aristotle and Socrates believe that justice is one of the highest and most sought after virtues. If one is to have a good life, one must be just.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Aristotle Biography Essay

Philosopher (c. 384 BCE–c. 322 BCE) Synopsis Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, Greece. When he turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he began tutoring Alexander the Great. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching and writing. Aristotle died in 322 B.C., after he left Athens and fled to Chalcis. Early Life Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece that was once a seaport. Aristotle’s father, Nicomachus, was court physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II. Although Nicomachus died when Aristotle was just a young boy, Aristotle remained closely affiliated with and influenced by the Macedonian court for the rest of his life. Little is known about his mother, Phaestis; she is also believed to have died when Aristotle was young.After Aristotle’s father died, Proxenus of Atarneus, who was married to Aristotle’s older sister, Arimneste, became Aristotle’s guardian until he came of age. When Aristotle turned 17, Proxenus sent him to Athens to pursue a higher education. At the time, Athens was considered the academic center of the universe. In Athens, Aristotle enrolled in Plato’s Academy, Greek’s premier learning institution, and proved an exemplary scholar. Aristotle maintained a relationship with Greek philosopher Plato, himself a student of Socrates, and his academy for two decades. Plato died in 347 B.C. Because Aristotle had disagreed with some of Plato’s philosophical treatises, Aristotle did not inherit the position of director of the academy, as many imagined hewould.After Plato died, Aristotle’s friend Hermias, king of Atarneus and Assos in Mysia, invited Aristotle to court. During his three-year stay in Mysia, Aristotle met and married his first wifePythias, Hermias’ niece. Together, the couple had a daughter, Pythias, named after her mother. Teaching In 338 B.C., Aristotle went home to Macedonia to start tutoring King Phillip II’s son, the then 13-year-old Alexander the Great. Phillip and Alexander both held Aristotle in high esteem and ensured that the Macedonia court generously compensated him for his work. In 335 B.C., after Alexander had succeeded his father as king and conquered Athens, Aristotle went back to the city. In Athens, Plato’s Academy, now run by Xenocrates, was still the leading influence on Greek thought. With Alexander’s permission, Aristotle started his own school in Athens, called the Lyceum. On and off, Aristotle spent most of the remainder of his life working as a teacher, researcher and writer at the Lyceum in Athens. Because Aristotle was known to walk around the school grounds while teaching, his students, forced to follow him, were nicknamed the â€Å"Peripatetics,† meaning â€Å"people who travel about.† Lyceum members researched subjects ranging from science and math to philosophy and politics, and nearly everything in between. Art was also a popular area of interest. Members of the Lyceum wrote up their findings in manuscripts. In so doing, they built the school’s massive collection of written materials, which by ancient accounts was credited as one of the first great libraries. In the same year that Aristotle opened the Lyceum, his wife Pythias died. Soon after, Aristotle embarked on a romance with a woman named Herpyllis, who hailed from his hometown of Stagira. According to some historians, Herpyllis may have been Aristotle’s slave, granted to him by the Macedonia court. They presume that he eventually freed and married her. Regardless, it is known that Herpyllis bore Aristotle children, including one son named Nicomachus, after Aristotle’s father. Aristotle is believed to have named his famed philosophical work Nicomachean Ethics in tribute to his son. When Aristotle’s former student Alexander the Great died suddenly in 323 B.C., the pro-Macedonian government was overthrown, and in light of anti-Macedonia sentiment , Aristotle was charge with impiety. To avoid being prosecuted, he left Athens and fled to Chalcis on the island of Euboea, where he would remain until his death.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The American Dream By Christopher Columbus - 1470 Words

â€Å"Only in America can someone start with nothing and achieve the American Dream. That s the greatness of this country,† said Rafael Cruz. The American Dream is a national philosophy of the United States, which includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. However, Americans have seemed to provide its own barriers through racial discrimination and cultural ignorance. The true American is represented by the people of the world, including the original Americans and the people who come to this country with only the clothes on their backs. Native-born Americans in 2015 seem to be unaware of the beauty of different cultures, and how their values are crippling their own society. Once he had arrived upon the sandy beaches of the New World in 1492, Christopher Columbus had mentioned that the Native Americans would be excellent slaves. Columbus ironically called these natives Indians, accidently suggesting the metaphorical idea that these people did not even belong to their homeland. The Native Americans are a victim of European greed and disease, with the American Holocaust reducing the indigenous population of the Western Hemisphere from 1.8 million at the arrival of Columbus to around 50 million towards the end of the 19th century. Integrated communities were forced into slavery, exploited for the personal gain of foreigners and replaced with AfricanShow MoreRelatedChristopher Columbus and the Tenents of the American Dream1158 Words   |  5 PagesChristopher Columbus was a man in history that had a profound impact on each of the tenets of the American Dream. Though not each impact was one that was positive, it was an impact nonetheless, and so I believe t hat he was able to have a profound impact on the dreams. 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