Preparedness theory essays

Preparedness theory essays How has preparedness theory attempted to integrate a Pavlovian model of the acquisition of specific phobias with this biological specificity? What is the status of Preparedness theory today? When confronted with a phobic object or situation an individual appears to have little control and no alternative but to avoid the feared object or situation (Ohman Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov established the study of classical conditioning (Bourne & Russo, 1998). Kalat (1998) states that classical conditioning involves a modification of involuntary behaviour. In this process, a neutral stimulus that causes no natural respon...

Actions means more than words

Actions means more than words Facial expressions and body language communicate one’s intentions and emotions far better than words. Leo Tolstoy, in Anna Karenina, describes a plethora of physical descriptions, enabling the reader to more completely understand the characters’ emotional state of mind. Other characters and the narrator frequently describe Anna’s shoulders. When Vrosnky and Levin look at them, they have a surge of excitement. Dolly and Kitty notice them and are impressed. The narrator depicts her shoulders in times of discontentment or pain. In all three cases, Anna’s shoulders signify the mood at the time of the interaction. Anna’s shoulders are a tangible manifestation of her mental and emotional state, and what kind of energy she expresses. When Anna’s shoulders are described for the first time, Anna also acts promiscuously for the first time, by dancing with Vronsky, whom is expected to propose to Kitty. Kitty admires Anna’s dress, which exposed her shoulders and chest. She emphasized that â€Å"the black dress with luxurious lace was not seen on her; it was just a frame, and only she was seen – simple, natural, graceful, and at the same time gay and animated† (p.79). Anna’s dress choice is evidence of her mood; she wanted to fit within the â€Å"frame† of society’s expectations for her, yet still expose her exuberant nature. While still conforming to society’s expectations, she sympathizes with social outcasts, foreshadows her future affair. At the ball when Anna is exposing her shoulders, Kitty walks over to Anna, and interrupts a conversation, where Anna is saying, â€Å"No, I don’t throw stones (p.79). This is a reference in the bible when a woman is caught in the act of adultery. The woman is dragged into public, completely naked. The crime for adultery at the time was stoning. Jesus says, â€Å"He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her† (John 8:7). When Anna says, I don’t cast stones, she is saying that she is not without sin, but also that she may sympathize with a woman who commits adultery. The circumstances – her flirtatious mood, exposed shoulders, and the conversation foreshadow her leaving her husband in favor of Vronsky, her future lover. Once Anna becomes more comfortable with her expressive mannerism, Vronsky follows the opportunity until they consummate their relationship. The narrator compares this interaction; â€Å"as the murderer falls upon this body with animosity, as if with passion, drags it off and cuts it up, so [Vronsky] covered [Anna’s] face and shoulders with kisses† (pp.149-150). In this graphic description, the reader becomes aware of the toxic physical relationship the characters have created. Anna’s shoulders the tangible revealing of her previous mental restraint inform the reader of the characters’ actions. By comparing their physical relationship to a murder, Anna and the reader is forced to recognize that Vronsky killed her previously admired social standing because of â€Å"these kisses† on her shoulder, (p.150). Yet, she holds Vronsky’s love closely. He killed her mental resistance, and in doing so, encouraged her promiscuous behavior to grow. After an extensive stretch of time, Anna is dying from puerperal fever, and she reconsiders the growth of her scandal. She no longer holds her defiance as a dear characteristic, which is apparent in how she now carries her shoulders. As she lay in bed, â€Å"The doctor took her arms away, carefully laid her back on the pillow and covered her shoulders† (p.413). She is no longer in a position of physical power, which is represented by the doctor covering her shoulders, as if to say, you need to stop exposing yourself and return to your previous way of life. The physical recovering instigates verbal control, which she used to easily possess. She demands that Alexi Alexandrovich uncover Vronsky’s face and forgive him, which he does. Once this is complete, she prepares to die. Contrary to her plan, Anna miraculously lives, and resorts back to her previous risquà © relationship with Vronsky, much to society’s gossiping pleasure. Suppressed by the lies and exclusion, Anna decides to go to the opera to prove she does not care about society’s expectations for her. Vronsky describes Anna as she sits in a box at the show; â€Å"The setting of her head on her handsome, broad shoulders, and the restrained excitement and brilliance of her eyes and her whole face reminded him of her just as he had seen her at the ball in Moscow† (p. 546). Her shoulders are described as broad, which could mean they were drawing more attention than usual. It is interesting that the singer’s shoulders are the only other shoulders described in this scene. Obviously, being the main performer, the singer is seeking attention. By also wearing a revealing dress, Anna is competing for attention with the performer. She succeeds. Vronsky, not looking for Anna knows where she is sitting â€Å"from the direction of all eyes† (p.545). Anna is the center of attention. She ends up in a cyclical process: Anna is excited to prove she can act however she wants, so she dresses in a revealing manor exposing her shoulders, then when people stare and gossip she becomes even more excited. By showing her shoulders, she is physically displaying her emotional state of excited defiance toward social expectations. In Anna’s final moments of life, she looses her mental vigor. When she is at the train station looking for Vrosnky in a completely agitated state, she suddenly thinks of the train as a way to end her misery. â€Å"Exactly at the moment when the space between the wheels came opposite her, she dropped the red bag, and drawing her head back into her shoulders, fell on her hands under the carriage, and lightly, as though she would rise again at once, dropped on to her knees† (p. 768). Tolstoy describes Anna as â€Å"drawing her head back into her shoulders,† which could be a metaphor for her physical and emotional trial. During her entire relationship with Vronsky, there has been a struggle between what she verbally says and what her body reveals. When she meets Vronsky for the first time, â€Å"she deliberately extinguished the light in her eyes, but it shone against her will,† (p.61). At a party she encourages him to leave her alone, and when he refuses says , That only shows you have no heart, But her eyes said that she knew he had a heart, and that was why she was afraid of him.† (p.139). This is a reoccurring struggle, so when Anna finally has no more mental strength to fight the oppression of her situation, she acts purely how her body has wanted to the entire time. In her dying moments, her head, which represents her mental strength, falls onto her shoulders, which represents her physical desire. Her final moments are her mental ending her externally expressed internal struggle. This struggle can be related to Vronsky’s attention and Anna’s resistance. It is not accidental that both Anna’s shoulders and promiscuousness appear at the same time; when her shoulders are described, and when they are not, are based on her intentions. At the train station, when she first arrives in Petersburg and meets Vronsky, â€Å"she deliberately extinguished the light in her eyes, but it shone against her will†(p. 61). Upon their meeting, her shoulders are not depicted. Every other feature is described: her figure, expression, head, eyes, eyelashes, and lips. She tries to distinguish the light, which shows she is committed to maintaining her social expectations, despite her attraction to Vronsky. Similarly, at a party she encourages him to leave her alone, and again, her shoulders are not described. By dressing to expose her shoulders, she no longer attempts to restrain the defiant energy within her. Tolstoy is aware of the relationship between mental thought and physical action; he expresses his understanding of body language as a form of communication through his descriptions of Anna’s shoulders. While Anna’s mental strength is what was extinguished by her inner struggle, other characters are aware of her trials because of her expression of her body, particularly her shoulders. When she allowed Vronsky to kill her social standing, she introduced the beginning to her tragic end. Had she never exposed her shoulders, she would have maintained her moderate existence and extensive prestige.

U.S and Iran Negotiations Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S and Iran Negotiations - Coursework Example The power bases include: The framework agreement comprised a milestone in negotiations that began like 12 years ago. It created parameters for more than 3 months of negotiations over technical advances and unresolved matters. In Washington, Mr. Obama strongly defended the agreement with Iran as a rare lifetime opportunity to end the spread of dangerous nuclear weapons. He used his excellent communication power base to reassure his critics that he would keep all options available if at all Iran cheated ultimately (Alanazi, & Arnoldo, 2003). Over a period, Iran has been subjected to various pressures and sanctions especially from the US. Under the Obama administration, the sanctions have become more international and far-reaching hence leading to sanctions on the sale of oil by Iran and international access to financial markets. Nonetheless, Obama used to assure Iran that all these sanctions that continued to batter its economy would be lifted in phases if the deal to end the production of nuclear weapons was signed (Castillo et al, 2015) After negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran, President Obama faces two more steps to make it realistic. One is using his power as the US president to make the outline of the deal and its finality. The other step is ensuring that the congress does not interfere on the way. Since the beginning of the negotiations, the Congress has tried to block the deal but president Obama has used his authoritarian powers to prevent the Congress from blocking the deal. Most of the Republicans and some Democrats are skeptical about the recent agreement but in his speech, President Obama dared them to block the deal (Carson et al, 1995). Influence can refer to the force that a person exerts on someone else to induce a certain change on the targeted person. Barrack Obama, the president of USA used the following influence tactics to force out the deal. In this tactic, the leader just issues and instructs

Strategic Leadership in a Changing World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Leadership in a Changing World - Essay Example Henry Ford recognized the fact that the company can use the right technology to avail quality cars to the public at an affordable price. With an efficient production line, Ford manufactured many cars at lower costs. The company relied on innovation to become the most successful car-producer in the U.S (Niemann 2013, p. 2). Today, the company aims at delivering the world’s best cars, utilities, and trucks, including a lineup of vehicles that are more sustainable in how they make them and how they operate (Niemann 2013, p. 4). The company depends on its employees to deliver its mission that includes building great products that contribute to a better world (Niemann 2013, p. 4). The company abhors sustainability by adopting strategies and goals that minimize environmental impacts, including reducing contribution to climate change (Niemann 2012, p. 5). Moreover, the company plays a role in developing and implementing solutions to the global water challenge (Niemann 2012, p. 5). The company enhances vehicle safety by giving customers peace of mind and making the world safer by developing advanced safety technologies and making them available across a wide range of vehicles (Niemann 2013, p. 6). As such, the company continues to gain competitive market advantage by reducing the environmental impact of our products and facilities, supporting positive social change, and ensuring economic viability for long-term growth (Niemann 2013, p. 7). Indeed, Ford Motor Company manufactured the best-selling brand in Americ a where it sold more than 2 million cars in 2012 (Niemann 2013, p. 4). Moreover, the company introduced six new choices of electrified vehicles and by March 2013, the company was the second leading seller of these vehicles in America with a 15 percent of the hybrid sales. However, it is quite notable that Ford Motor Company faces strategic issues and options in the global market and in the motor vehicle

War of 1812 Essay -- essays research papers

The War of 1812   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States of America began to see the effects of Anglo-French War by the early 1800's. This European quarrel began affecting the United States shipping industry. Britain and France were violating neutral shipping rights of American merchants. They thought of America as weak due to inadequate time the nation had to develop. These violations were the first and primary provoking factors that led to war with Britain. There was reason that Britain became the target of US military rather that France. Britain has influenced Indians around Lake Michigan to resist white settlement. This was one of the primary reasons the English were chosen as our foe. Britain had the Indians do this as an attempt to keep the U.S. border as low as possible - not exceeding the Canadian border. France had made no such attempts to interfere with America; they in fact only had the simple desire to obtain our goods. They did with hopes of gaining this territory for their new colony late r. Consequently, Britain became the target, and it led to a continuation of the American Revolution. The primary cause of the war with Britain was the fact the neutral shipping rights were violated by Britain, and though France had also violated these rights, there were other issues that the British were responsible for. Britain blockaded the United States in such a manner it was no longer possible to export goods by ship. The British were not doing this to harm America's economy, however it was extremely harmful to the economy of this young country. Britain was doing this so that France could not import as many goods that would behoove them in the war. France desperately needed various goods that could be imported from the United States and they were willing to pay where America's economy could have benefited tremendously. Though the fact of the matter is Britain's enormous, notorious navy would not allow the exporting of America's goods. The desire for Canadian colonies to join the United States, and the accusations of the British supplying Indians with weapons to be used against the U.S. are also causes of the War of 1812. The battles of this war were primarily fought on US soil. The British military was surprised by the United States military. They had underestimated of the young country that was blossoming and flourishing on freedom. The battl... ...e was gained by either of the opposing forces of the war. The British suffer tremendous casualties. The U.S. gained nothing in terms of land. This war was indeed pointless: it is amazing how one leader's feelings can kill thousands. President Madison got involved in this war because he felt that the country's pride had been stepped on. The opportunity to challenge Britain came up, and Madison jumped into it readily. The War of 1812 was definitely a war this nation could have gone without taking part in. It was ridiculous to lose so many valuable American lives for such worthless reasons - pride. Pride should be swallowed in certain occasions: this was definitely a time in which our leaders of America could easily have swallowed their pride at much less of a cost. American merchants and greed can be held at fault for this costly American war. Had merchants not pushed so hard this war may had been avoided, but they fact is it did. The War of 1812 did, however, strengthen America's ability to be self-reliant. This is valuable, but not worth the thousands of lives that were spent obtaining this minor wartime convenience. (american History - a survey by alan brinkley) and encarta 95 cd

King Lear Loyalty

Eastern and Western Perspectives on Loyalty Loyalty is a strong feeling of support and allegiance in which it is reflected upon two proclaimed movies with different setting and subplots, but possesses a similar understanding to what the writer was trying to convey. By watching Olivier’s â€Å"King Lear†, and Kurosawa’s â€Å"Ran†, the audience finds there are many themes that are portrayed throughout each movie, but the one that provides the largest impact within the plot has to be loyalty. King Lear displays the meaning of loyalty in a western approach with high class Elizabethan characters as its main cast.The second movie, Ran, is based on an eastern society with conflicting warlords who rule during a particular era. With their differences, also come their similarities. Many characters within their respective movies all share one common analogy, that one should be loyal and faithful to their master. Since the concepts of the two movies are similar, the characters and their roles would parallel each other as well. Lord Hidetora’s advocate, Tango and King Lear’s Earl, Kent have one attribute in common; that they both serve their king with devotion.The Earl of Kent’s loyalty is shown during the movie after he is banished by King Lear for opposing the idea of disowning his youngest daughter, Cordelia. Kent proves this when he disguises himself as a normal citizen, to obtain proximity with the king. Most men would leave the kingdom, never to return but Kent proves differently. Aside, Kent reveals his plan â€Å"Now, banished Kent, If thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned, So may it come thy master, whom thou lovest, Shall find thee full of labors. † (I. iv. 24. 4) This quote explains that even though his master condemned him, he is loyal and still willing to serve King Lear.From there, he gains King Lear’s trust as â€Å"Caius† and works to aid him throughout the rest of the play. Ke nt’s honesty is also a big role when serving King Lear, since he helps the King to understand his faults about banishing Cordelia from his kingdom, acting as a voice of reason. He’s not afraid to stand up to the King, because he holds King Lear’s best interest at heart even before his own. Kent is very selfless when it comes to his relationship with King Lear, and without prompting would end his own life to continue serving his King even in the afterlife.Kent tells the Duke of Albany â€Å"I have a journey, sir, shortly to go. My master calls me. I must not say no. † (V. iii. 17. 340) Kent decides to continue serving his king and denies the request from the Duke of Albany to help revive the kingdom that King Lear once ruled. Parallel to Kent from â€Å"King Lear†, Tango from â€Å"Ran† also had a similar role as Lord Hidetora’s loyal advocate. Tango is banished from Lord Hidetora’s domain because of his negativism towards his L ord’s decision to banish Saburo, since he did not want to deceive his father like his elder brothers.Tango left Hidetora’s domain, but did not feel it was right to leave his Lord since he made a pledge to serve him, no matter the situation. Tango returns to Lord Hidetora when Hidetora is in need of food and supplies after he, himself is banished from both Taro and Jiro’s castles. Tango explains to Lord Hidetora â€Å"I, Tango Hirayama, though banished have followed my lord in disguise. Seeing how you suffer, I beg to offer you these provisions. † This quote displays that the relationship between Lord Hidetora and Kent are more than servant and Lord and that the trust between the two of them go far beyond even Lord Hidetora and his own sons.From that part in time, Tango stays with Hidetora for the remainder of the movie while they endure the agony and suffering that tie into the tragedy. The differences between the characters are the strength of their loya lty towards their masters. Kent’s perspective of loyalty is more extreme, since he is willingly to die for King Lear and follow him eternally. Kent puts his service towards his master as his top priority which is more important than his own life. Tango’s approach is more subtle, since he does not take extreme precaution when returning to his King after his banishment, but Tango still has a strong sense of loyalty.Kent and Tango’s roles within each movie are very significant towards the tragedy. It helps the audience see there are genuine characters within the movies that are not influential towards the tragedy. The loyalty that is instilled within the two characters cause a positive flexure within the tragedy; by helping eliminate the conflict more than continuing the progression towards it. Unlike the positive effect that Kent and Tango had on the plot, Oswald and Kurogane both serve their antagonistic masters, Goneril and Jiro.Oswald shows his full allegiance to Goneril; he even disobeys King Lear’s attempt to talk to his daughter during Kent’s arrival to the Goneril’s castle and denies Regan’s offer to join her side, also ripping up her letter in the process. Oswald serves Goneril with utter loyalty, but his understanding of devotion is different than a man such as Kent. Oswald explains to the Duke of Cornwall why Kent attacked him â€Å"I never gave him any, It pleased the king his master very late To strike at me upon his misconstructionWhen he, conjunct and flattering his displeasure, Tripped me behind; being down, insulted, railed, And put upon him such a deal of man That worthied him, got praises of the king For him attempting who was self-subdued. And in the fleshment of this dread exploit Drew on me here again. † (II. ii. 5. 110) The fight between Kent and Oswald is symbolic, showing a battle between good and evil. Kent’s loyalty is trustworthy but Oswald is a sycophant who attempts to wi n over people with his insincerely flattery to get what he wants, similar to his master Goneril.Kurogane is parallel to Oswald with both of them serving the main antagonists of the movies. Kurogane is very loyal to Jiro, acting as his voice of reason when Jiro becomes extremely influenced by Lady Kaede and tries to take over Lady Sue’s position as his wife. When Lady Kaede asks Jiro to slay Lady Sue and bring back her head, Kurogane comes back with a head of a statue, After finding out that Lady Sue is murdered, Kurogane tells Jiro he’s will not let Lady Kaede escape punishment â€Å"Who rules this domain,You or Lady Kaede? I pledged fealty to you, but never to her! † Similar to Oswald’s scene where he rips Regan’s paper, Kurogane kills Lady Kaede for her disobedience because he serves Jiro, displaying that his loyalty goes towards his master and no one else. There is a comparison between Kurogane and Oswald, but there are also many differences as well. Oswald seems to use flattery in order to display his loyalty towards Goneril, whereas Kurogane is honest towards Jiro and will even step up to Jiro.Oswald’s loyalty seems cowardly since he hides behind a shadow of lies and Kurogane’s loyalty is sincere and generally, more positive. Oswald and Kurogane’s roles provide influence towards the downfall of the tragic hero and create a progression towards the tragedy. Since they have a negative impact on the storyline, they help magnify the audience’s perspective on the tragedy that is yet to happen. In conclusion, the two movies contain many comparisons and contrasts that approach from two distinct cultures.The four characters; Oswald along with Kurogane and Tango along with Kent, can relate with and differ against each other. All these characters carry traits of loyalty towards their masters, while each individual can be classified as either good or evil. These characters enlighten the tragedy that both directors portrayed through the plot. Olivier’s â€Å"King Lear†, and Kurosawa’s â€Å"Ran† is comprised of multiple themes that are depicted during the films, but the theme with the most significance towards the storyline and the tragedy is loyalty. King Lear Loyalty Eastern and Western Perspectives on Loyalty Loyalty is a strong feeling of support and allegiance in which it is reflected upon two proclaimed movies with different setting and subplots, but possesses a similar understanding to what the writer was trying to convey. By watching Olivier’s â€Å"King Lear†, and Kurosawa’s â€Å"Ran†, the audience finds there are many themes that are portrayed throughout each movie, but the one that provides the largest impact within the plot has to be loyalty. King Lear displays the meaning of loyalty in a western approach with high class Elizabethan characters as its main cast.The second movie, Ran, is based on an eastern society with conflicting warlords who rule during a particular era. With their differences, also come their similarities. Many characters within their respective movies all share one common analogy, that one should be loyal and faithful to their master. Since the concepts of the two movies are similar, the characters and their roles would parallel each other as well. Lord Hidetora’s advocate, Tango and King Lear’s Earl, Kent have one attribute in common; that they both serve their king with devotion.The Earl of Kent’s loyalty is shown during the movie after he is banished by King Lear for opposing the idea of disowning his youngest daughter, Cordelia. Kent proves this when he disguises himself as a normal citizen, to obtain proximity with the king. Most men would leave the kingdom, never to return but Kent proves differently. Aside, Kent reveals his plan â€Å"Now, banished Kent, If thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned, So may it come thy master, whom thou lovest, Shall find thee full of labors. † (I. iv. 24. 4) This quote explains that even though his master condemned him, he is loyal and still willing to serve King Lear.From there, he gains King Lear’s trust as â€Å"Caius† and works to aid him throughout the rest of the play. Ke nt’s honesty is also a big role when serving King Lear, since he helps the King to understand his faults about banishing Cordelia from his kingdom, acting as a voice of reason. He’s not afraid to stand up to the King, because he holds King Lear’s best interest at heart even before his own. Kent is very selfless when it comes to his relationship with King Lear, and without prompting would end his own life to continue serving his King even in the afterlife.Kent tells the Duke of Albany â€Å"I have a journey, sir, shortly to go. My master calls me. I must not say no. † (V. iii. 17. 340) Kent decides to continue serving his king and denies the request from the Duke of Albany to help revive the kingdom that King Lear once ruled. Parallel to Kent from â€Å"King Lear†, Tango from â€Å"Ran† also had a similar role as Lord Hidetora’s loyal advocate. Tango is banished from Lord Hidetora’s domain because of his negativism towards his L ord’s decision to banish Saburo, since he did not want to deceive his father like his elder brothers.Tango left Hidetora’s domain, but did not feel it was right to leave his Lord since he made a pledge to serve him, no matter the situation. Tango returns to Lord Hidetora when Hidetora is in need of food and supplies after he, himself is banished from both Taro and Jiro’s castles. Tango explains to Lord Hidetora â€Å"I, Tango Hirayama, though banished have followed my lord in disguise. Seeing how you suffer, I beg to offer you these provisions. † This quote displays that the relationship between Lord Hidetora and Kent are more than servant and Lord and that the trust between the two of them go far beyond even Lord Hidetora and his own sons.From that part in time, Tango stays with Hidetora for the remainder of the movie while they endure the agony and suffering that tie into the tragedy. The differences between the characters are the strength of their loya lty towards their masters. Kent’s perspective of loyalty is more extreme, since he is willingly to die for King Lear and follow him eternally. Kent puts his service towards his master as his top priority which is more important than his own life. Tango’s approach is more subtle, since he does not take extreme precaution when returning to his King after his banishment, but Tango still has a strong sense of loyalty.Kent and Tango’s roles within each movie are very significant towards the tragedy. It helps the audience see there are genuine characters within the movies that are not influential towards the tragedy. The loyalty that is instilled within the two characters cause a positive flexure within the tragedy; by helping eliminate the conflict more than continuing the progression towards it. Unlike the positive effect that Kent and Tango had on the plot, Oswald and Kurogane both serve their antagonistic masters, Goneril and Jiro.Oswald shows his full allegiance to Goneril; he even disobeys King Lear’s attempt to talk to his daughter during Kent’s arrival to the Goneril’s castle and denies Regan’s offer to join her side, also ripping up her letter in the process. Oswald serves Goneril with utter loyalty, but his understanding of devotion is different than a man such as Kent. Oswald explains to the Duke of Cornwall why Kent attacked him â€Å"I never gave him any, It pleased the king his master very late To strike at me upon his misconstructionWhen he, conjunct and flattering his displeasure, Tripped me behind; being down, insulted, railed, And put upon him such a deal of man That worthied him, got praises of the king For him attempting who was self-subdued. And in the fleshment of this dread exploit Drew on me here again. † (II. ii. 5. 110) The fight between Kent and Oswald is symbolic, showing a battle between good and evil. Kent’s loyalty is trustworthy but Oswald is a sycophant who attempts to wi n over people with his insincerely flattery to get what he wants, similar to his master Goneril.Kurogane is parallel to Oswald with both of them serving the main antagonists of the movies. Kurogane is very loyal to Jiro, acting as his voice of reason when Jiro becomes extremely influenced by Lady Kaede and tries to take over Lady Sue’s position as his wife. When Lady Kaede asks Jiro to slay Lady Sue and bring back her head, Kurogane comes back with a head of a statue, After finding out that Lady Sue is murdered, Kurogane tells Jiro he’s will not let Lady Kaede escape punishment â€Å"Who rules this domain,You or Lady Kaede? I pledged fealty to you, but never to her! † Similar to Oswald’s scene where he rips Regan’s paper, Kurogane kills Lady Kaede for her disobedience because he serves Jiro, displaying that his loyalty goes towards his master and no one else. There is a comparison between Kurogane and Oswald, but there are also many differences as well. Oswald seems to use flattery in order to display his loyalty towards Goneril, whereas Kurogane is honest towards Jiro and will even step up to Jiro.Oswald’s loyalty seems cowardly since he hides behind a shadow of lies and Kurogane’s loyalty is sincere and generally, more positive. Oswald and Kurogane’s roles provide influence towards the downfall of the tragic hero and create a progression towards the tragedy. Since they have a negative impact on the storyline, they help magnify the audience’s perspective on the tragedy that is yet to happen. In conclusion, the two movies contain many comparisons and contrasts that approach from two distinct cultures.The four characters; Oswald along with Kurogane and Tango along with Kent, can relate with and differ against each other. All these characters carry traits of loyalty towards their masters, while each individual can be classified as either good or evil. These characters enlighten the tragedy that both directors portrayed through the plot. Olivier’s â€Å"King Lear†, and Kurosawa’s â€Å"Ran† is comprised of multiple themes that are depicted during the films, but the theme with the most significance towards the storyline and the tragedy is loyalty.

Essay on The Sweet Song of Dante Alighieris Siren

The Sweet Song of Dante Alighieris Siren Among the various tools Dante Alighieri employs in the Commedia, his grand imaginative interpretation of life after death, scenes involving figures and beasts from classical mythology provide the reader with allegories and exempla effectively linking universal human themes with Christian thought and ideology. Among these, the figure of the Siren, found in Canto 19 of the Purgatorio, exists as a particularly sinister and moribund image. Visiting Dante in a dream upon the heights of Mount Purgatory, the Siren attempts to seduce the sleeping traveler with her sweet song. Dante finds himself on the brink of giving in to her deadly charms when Virgil, through the intercession of a heavenly lady,†¦show more content†¦These seductive creatures however, as seen in the piles of decaying bodies upon the shores of their island, are truly creatures of death. Vernant further asserts, they are death, and death in its most brutally monstrous aspect: no funeral, no tomb, only the corpse s decomposition in the open air (104). Thus, the reader finds that the traditional mythological aspects of the Siren-overwhelming temptation, pleasures of the flesh, and ultimately death-are vital to understanding its presence in the Commedia. In order to attempt a full explication of Dantes Siren, the entire context of the encounter must be examined. At the end of Canto 18, the traveler tires and drifts into dreamy sleep. Just before dawn, the dream of the Siren disturbs his slumber upon the terrace of sloth. Prior to this, the traveler had found himself fading away into sleep, but was prevented when a group of repentants rushed by him. After conversing with some of them, however, his thoughts wander, and he succumbs to somnolencey. The traveler describes his train of thought, a new thought started forming in my mind, / creating others, many different ones: / from one to another to another thought / I wandered sleepily, then closed my eyes (Purgatorio 18.141-44). As his mind wanders from one frivolous thought to another, Dante the traveler capitulates to the false sense