Response to a Midsummer Nights Dream Essay Example for Free

Response to a Midsummer Nights Dream Essay I grew interested in the play’s conflict, since it seems modern day typical. I, for one, enjoy watching love stories and dramas. This play, served just that purpose. Reading of the avenged lover’s, Hermia and Lysander, plan to run into the forest to marry seemed likely to be seen on a Wednesday night, 9:00PM, drama series. Which, I absolutely love! Then, the play takes a twist from reality. Helena acquires information related to Hermia and Lysander’s plan to marry, which provides her initiative to tell Demetrius. She intends on winning back the love of Demetrius. The two of them go out in search of the Lysander and Hermia, and find that they’ve all landed themselves in a forest filled with â€Å"fairies. † When introduced to the idea of fairies, I was a bit distraught. I was filled with enjoyment because the plot seemed so realistic! Discouraged from reading the play, I found myself wondering, what on earth could be the position of these fairies in the forest? Noticing that I was wondering about the fairies, made me realize that I actually was interested; otherwise I wouldn’t be thinking about it. What a premeditated man Shakespeare is! These fairies were passionate about disrupting the love affairs of surrounding humans. Ha! He just made it more interesting. By entrance into the fairy-infested woods, the romantic lives of these couples converted to very complicated. Oberon, the King, and Titania, the Queen of all the forest fairies lead and direct Puck, or Robin, as he achieves his mischievous tactics. Oberon, decided upon mismatching the lovers as a consequence for their disturbance. He refers Puck to the power of a magical, love-bringing flower. A flower that can literally teach someone to love, why can’t we have that in real life? Puck, being clumsily skillful, uses the magic against the wrong person! He played the magic trick on Lysander instead of Demetrius, the intended target. As a result, he falls in love with the first person he see’s after awakening, Helena. Trying to undo his mistake, Puck makes Demetrius fall in love with Helena as well. Hermia is now very upset. He created pure chaos, and just the way I like it. Firstly, I am not a fan of the comedy in this play. However, Shakespeare casually, yet competently, creates a mix of humor and love. The artisans are portrayed as foolish while imitating the play of â€Å"Pyramis and Thysby. They mock words in the play, for instance when Bottom says, â€Å"Thisbe, the flowers of odious savors sweet—,† Quince corrects him with, â€Å"Odors,† â€Å"odors. † â€Å"Odious† is another word for unpleasant, while â€Å"odors† pertains to the fragrant smell of â€Å"sweet† flowers. It makes me snicker at the th ought of messing up a line so simple and a word so ironic from it’s original. Yet it feels unrelated and sort of disconnects my thought from the play. I will however say, the thought of the Athenian’s head turning into that of an Ass is a bit amusing. I find that humor is necessary when writing works filled with such seriousness and drama, it just happens to be that I am not a fan. I found this play exciting and pleasantly full of drama. Shakespeare’s works of literature are all fabulous in many different ways through use of common themes such as love and dreams. The love of these couples was at first true, but then foolishly played around with. Hermia felt mocked by Lysander and Demetrius, a feeling that most females often feel when men act in this manner. She was accustomed to these men being in love with her, and then they suddenly were in love with Helena. By morning Puck is able to undo all the spells, making all well again. They engage in a group wedding, marrying Helena and Demetrius, and Lysander and Hermia. The end of the play involves the fairies sprinkling dust to protect these couples in the future. Puck also remains to ask for forgiveness and to remember the play as though it was all a dream. The theme of love and dreams combine in this play making it an excellent eye-opener. Sometimes, things must happen for all to go the way one pleases. I enjoyed this play from beginning to end because of its realistic encounters mixed with the ideas fantasy.

Interpersonal Conflict :: Human Resource Management

Hocker (1991) defined conflict and specifically interpersonal conflict as an expressed struggle involving a minimum of two interdependent individuals who have incompatible goals, scarce resources, and they perceive obstruction from the other party in achieving their goals. Hocker’s definition of conflict is criticized for its ambiguity. Rather than being a source of incompatible goals, conflict is caused by incompatible positions. When the term power is used in connection with communications between opponents, it is understood to mean the ability to control some other individual’s behavior (Burgoon & Dunbar, 2006). Individual perception is an important key concept to understanding the origin of conflict between parties. Conflict has also been de-fined as â€Å"a breakdown in the standard mechanisms of decision-making so that an individual or group experiences difficulty in selecting an action alternative† March and Simon (1993). Jehn and Mannix (2001) described conflict of an interpersonal nature as a recognition shared by two people in a dispute that they have irreconcilable needs, incompatible goals, and incongruity. During group situations, conflict frequently manifests itself when members of the group express opposing opinions and goals (Eisenhardt & Schoonhoven, 1990). Research by Amason (1996) revealed that conflict manifests itself in a group’s decision-making processes in spite of everyone in the group sharing the same goals. Amason (1996) and later Jehn (1999) theorized the reason for this disconnect was due to each person in the group having their own unique perspectives, varying levels of knowledge, and different life experiences that created an environment ripe for the collision of values. Interpersonal conflict is viewed by a vast majority of people as dysfunctional and costly to companies because of the time and money spent on conflict resolution strategies. Furthermore, many believe conflict stifles performance, reduces group cohesion, and it ultimately hinders the process of decision-making (Gladstein, 1984). Language also ascribes negative attributes to the word conflict. Typically, dysfunctional be-haviors whether they are verbal or physical like disputes, quarrels or hostilities -- all are associated with the word â€Å"conflict.† With the word â€Å"conflict† being used in great abundance globally to describe

19th Century Horror Stories Essay

In this essay we will look at the Characteristics of 19th Century Horror Stories, commenting on: the structure of the story; the characterisation; the themes included in the story; the setting and the writer’s technique. I will be looking into two texts in detail: â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† by William Wymark Jacobs; and â€Å"The Signalman† by Charles Dickens, whilst making references to â€Å"Captain Rogers† – also by William Wymark Jacobs, and â€Å"The Engineer’s Thumb† by Sherlock Holmes. During the Victorian period, the industrial revolution was in full flow, and the gothic styles of writing used in the stories of this period were extremely popular – featuring in many magazines of the time. Horror stories became almost an obsession for many people, who were drawn in by the unique styles of the writers such as Dickens, Poe, and Wilkie Collins. They were cheap, and widely available, with many of them being published in magazines. The availability of them meant that the obsession continued, as the people of that time were always able to obtain a new story. One of the stories, â€Å"The Signalman† by Dickens, is a fine example of the horror stories of that day: It begins by setting a gloomy scene, with the Signalman situated in a ‘deep cutting’, his figure ‘foreshortened and shadowed’. Using description such as this, the author can immediately let the reader understand the mood of the story – in this case, dark and depressing. This technique is also used in â€Å"Captain Rogers†, with the words ‘feeble’, ’painful’, and ‘forced’ being used in the first paragraph. The ‘deep cutting’ in which the story is set, is later described as a ‘dungeon’, and at the end of the cutting was the entrance to a black tunnel, in which there was a ‘barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air’ – setting a negative semantic field around the piece. The Signalman himself is described as a ‘dark sallow’ man, living in as ‘solitary and dismal a place’ that the narrator ever saw. Indeed, the narrator comments that it was ‘as if I had left the natural world’. Indeed, the opening to the story gives the reader a glimpse of the signalman’s loneliness, and a sense of foreboding towards the trench in which he was posted. Loneliness and foreboding are two major characteristics of 19th Century horror. Horror stories from this period often have a supernatural theme. In â€Å"The Signalman†, ghostly ‘spectres’ haunt the unfortunate rail-way worker – and shortly after they appear, a terrible accident occurs. Accumulation is a major factor in horror stories, and â€Å"The Signalman† used this to great effect. The appearances of the spectres become more frequent, making the reader wonder what is going to take place at the climax. The spectre returns, and the signalman describes to the narrator that: ‘what troubles me so dreadfully is the question: What does the spectre mean?’ This leaves the reader to ponder what may happen next in the story, even though they may have no idea. It leaves the reader feel to be scared by whatever their imagination may come up with, meaning the writer does not have to reveal the plot just yet – but can keep the reader guessing. This is a common feature in 19th Century horror, and is used in â€Å"Captain Rogers† and â€Å"The Engineer’s Thumb† The narrator also describes how he could see the ‘mental torture’ and ‘pain of mind’ of the signalman, suggesting that the events with the spectre have left his state of mind in tatters. In 19th Century horror stories, characters were often driven mad by the events unfolding in the book At the end of the book, the plot unravels, and all becomes clear. The narrator is shocked to hear of the death of the signalman, who is hit by a train. He then learns that the spectre which had been haunting the signalman was the driver, shouting at him to clear the way. The ending of the book is  short, with just a little dialogue after we learn of the death of the signalman, which is common in horror stories of this era. This style of ending is similar to that in â€Å"Captain Rogers†, in which there is a death, and a sudden ending to the story. This is also the case in â€Å"The Engineer’s Thumb†, when Holmes realises that the printing press has been destroyed, and the criminals are many miles away. Another famous tale from this period is â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† by W.W.Jacobs. It epitomises the horror genre of this time, with suspense, mystery, death, and a super-natural theme all included in the plot. The story begins with a good use of contrast. ‘The night was cold and wet’, but inside Laburnam Villa, a ‘fire burned brightly’, as a father and son are playing a game of chess whilst an old lady sat by the fire, ‘knitting placidly’. Contrast is also used at the beginning of â€Å"Captain Rogers†, when ‘a bright fire afforded a pleasant change to the chill October air outside’. Description of the setting is included in the father’s dialogue: ‘Of all the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this is the worst’. At this point, a guest knocks on the door and is invited into the house. He tells the family a tales of ‘strange scenes’ and ‘doughty deeds’, a good use of repetition, and finally arrives on the subject of a monkey’s paw, which ‘had a spell put on it by an old fakir’. Again, another reference to super-natural subjects. The Paw will grant three separate men each three wishes, but when asked about this, the visitor’s face ‘whitened’ – a method commonly used in 19th Century horror to show fear. Later, the family urge the visitor (a sergeant in the army) to let them have ownership of the paw. The sergeant is reluctant to hand it over, instead suggesting to ‘let it burn’ in the fire. This leaves the reader wondering what could be so bad about the paw, which the sergeant wants to let burn in the fire. As with â€Å"The Signalman†, â€Å"Captain Rogers†, and â€Å"The Engineer’s Thumb† , it is left to the readers’ imaginations what the plot may be surrounding the story, confirming that it is a common characteristic of 19th Century Horror. A technique also used in this particular story, was the use of words such as ‘unusual’, ‘depressing’ and ‘horrible’ to set a negative and gloomy semantic field around it, which alerts the reader to the mood of the story. Nearly every 19th Century Horror story used this method of writing, including â€Å"The Signalman† and â€Å"Captain Rogers†. These stories also use the technique of repetition to put across the meaning of a phrase or piece of dialogue more strongly. In â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw†, a character called Herbert is sitting alone by the fire, when he sees a face ‘so horrible and so simian that he gazed at it in amazement’, in the flames. The repetition of the word ‘so’ makes the adjective following it, much stronger. In â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw†, and often in other horror novels, a short relief from the tension will be given. In â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw†, directly after the scene in which Herbert has seen the ‘vivid’ faces in the fire, there is a short scene portraying events at the breakfast table the following morning. The monkey’s paw, the object of all their wonder, fear, and excitement the night before, is ‘pitched on the sideboard with a carelessness which betokened no great belief in its virtues’. The family laugh the tale of the sergeant off, making a mockery of the ‘power’ of the paw. Often, horror stories of this period will add scenes such as this to enable the use of features such as irony, which is used in abundance in this scene, for example when Mrs. White asks: ‘How could two hundred pounds hurt you?†. Immediately after, Herbert replies: ‘Might drop on his head from the sky.’ All this is ironic, as Herbert is eventually killed by some machinery at his workforce – and the family are given two hundred pounds in compensation, after Herbert used the paw to wish for ‘two hundred pounds’. The reader thinks the story has reached its climax, when the family are informed of the death of Herbert. However – there is one last twist in the plot. Some 19th Century Horror Stories added a twist, and it proved very popular. A week after the death of Herbert, his mother and father eventually, after much arguing, decide to use the paw one last time – to  bring Herbert back to life. A ‘loud knock resounded through the house’, and his mother rushes to the door to open it for Herbert. Just when the reader thinks the mutilated body is going to be let into the house, his father realises his mistake – and wishes his son away. The door is opened, but Herbert is gone. The eventual anti-climax to this twist is also used often in 19th Century Horror Stories. A twist was also included in â€Å"Captain Rogers†, where Rogers murders his friend, Gunn. To conclude, many different styles and techniques were used to create a Horror Story in this time, but they all had the same effect, which was to create a dark and negative semantic field– which makes the story more scary and thrilling for the reader. Writers such as Dickens, Poe, Collins, Jacobs, and Doyle included vivid descriptions of setting and character to aid their writing, and add to the semantic field.

Similarities And Similarities Between To Kill A...

Comparison/Contrast of To Kill a Mockingbird and A Time to Kill The films To Kill a Mockingbird and A Time to Kill are easily comparable. From the titles to the actual contents, it is not difficult to understand why one would see them as similar. However, there are as many differences as there are similarities within the movies. I will be discussing and describing both the similarities and differences between the films. To begin, there is one extremely prominent similarity that is immediately noticeable: Both films are presenting the stories of two black men on trial with white lawyers. The men in question are Tom Robinson, charged with the crime of beating and raping a white woman, and Carl Lee Hailey, charged with†¦show more content†¦As you have likely realized, the differences begin to overlap the similarities towards the ends of both movies. Although the plots and concepts of To Kill a Mockingbird and A Time to Kill are alike, I believe A Time to Kill to be a superior film. For example, in the movie, the story was handled and presented more effectively; there was an obvious effort put into making the story one that would hit the audience hard, it was not rushed and messy, and, in general, it was developed much better. While watching the movie adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, I did not feel the fondness I felt for the characters while reading the novel. As I stated prior, I found the film was rushing through the story. The trial originally took up many pages in the book, but, in the movie, it seemed to go by very quickly. Plenty of details were left out as well; Alexandra Finch, Atticus’ sister, played a large role in the children’s lives in the book. In the movie, though, she was nowhere to be seen. This is just one of many things that have been left out that were important to the novel. In general, A Time to Kill is a better made film with a higher budget and dramatic storytelling. To Kill a Mockingbird was certainly not an awful movie, per se, but, if you were to ask my opinion, the attempt to pull at the heartstrings the way the novel did was a rather fruitless one. To conclude, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and the film A Time to Kill were and willShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson Essay944 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many similarities between the Scottsboro trial and the trial of Tom Robinson in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. â€Å"No crime in American history—let alone a crime that never occurred—produced as many trials, convictions, reversals, and retrials as did an alleged gang rape of two white girls by nine black teenagers on a Southern railroad freight run on March 25, 1931† (Linder 1). 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Harper Lee was born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, inRead MoreComparison on the Movie and the Book To Kill a Mockingbird Essay847 Words   |  4 PagesAs most everyone knows, there are differences between a book and it’s movie adaptation. This is applicable to the book and it’s movie counterpart To Kill a Mockingbird, as well. But aside from the differences, there are also similarities between these two. The similarities are quite apparent, the movie plot mainly follows the basic plot that the book took, leaving the viewer’s with a sense of accomplishment, as this is sometimes not achieved in the highest degree. Scout still has a brother, JemRead MoreSimilarities Between To Kill A Mockingbird And To Kill A Mockingbird936 Words   |  4 Pagesthis point of view. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published in 1960 and is recognized as a timeless classic in American literature. 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Racial segregation and issues associated with it such as the lifestyle of the Southern stateRead MoreAnalysis Of Harper Lee s Kill A Mockingbird 1491 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee’s ​ To Kill a Mockingbird ​ is a critically acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize winning novel that instantly attained its position as one of the greatest literary classics (Editors).The story of Scout Finch’s childhood has become one of the most notable narratives that addresses controversial issues present in the early 20th century. Lee’s novel depicts themes of race, justice, and innocence throughout the novel. Although ​ To Kill a Mockingbird​ is regarded as a literary masterpiece in AmericanRead More Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Case Essay1361 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Case On March 25 1931 a group of nine boys were charged with raping two girls aboard a train traveling from Paint Rock Alabama across the state’s border. 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