Dramatic impact Essay Example for Free

Dramatic impact Essay In 1915, Arthur T. Miller was born in the city of New York, where his family business was ruined after the stock market crash of 29. This had a continuous affect on his life and work. The half-Austrian, half-American playwright wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949, at the age of 34. Along with his other acclaimed plays (including All My Sons and The Crucible): Death of a Salesman includes his common themes of corruption, societys deterioration, the Great American Dream and lost values. Set in the Mid-20th century after the Second World War: Death of a Salesman is a tale of values lost to a world where they now carry little weight and of a man, in himself, lost to those values and in so doing isolating himself to the ever-changing world. Renowned as one of the best plays to ever come out of America. A particularly dramatic and significant scene in this attack against capitalism is the restaurant scene, in which a father-son bond is torn in tragedy, brotherly love is dissipated and life grinds to a halt for an old, tired man. The scene in general is a very significant part of the play as it acts as the final trigger for Willy Loman to take his own life. We know this as, in the scene that directly follows this, Willy is quoted saying: (To Stanley) Heres some more, I dont need it anymore This shows us that he has (after this event) well and truly given up on this life, by stating that he will no longer be needed to use his money for he will die and in doing so provide his family with some insurance support, making this scene very significant indeed. The final trigger that I mentioned could be a number of events. Firstly, some critics believe, the fact that Biff has realised the truth: I was just a shipping clerk, which Willy has shut out for countless years deep inside, is the fatal factor of Willys suicide: that he himself, through Biff, finally sees what his life has lived up to nothing. We can see evidence of this in the garden scene where he tries to leave something, however small, behind as his legacy: Ive got to get some seeds, right away. Nothings planted. I dont have a thing in the ground. He has an urgent need to leave something behind and the seeds are a metaphorical representation of this. Some critics feel that this scene is significant as it builds up to the next scene where Willy has a flashback of Biffs discovery of The Woman, revealing to the audience for the first time the event that sparks the turmoil that Biff suffers for the next fifteen years of his life: The knowledge of his fathers infidelity shatters this ideal that he has held for so long. This would patch up the missing link and explain to the audience how Biff went from the loving son we saw in the earlier flashbacks to the almost hateful adult we see in the present. Others however believe that it is what has happened before this scene that makes it so significant. Due to the tension build up up-until then was mounting by Willys encounters with Howard, Bernard and Charley beforehand constituting harsh blows to the fantasy through which Willy views his life; his constructed reality was falling apart. The audience, after seeing Biffs own disappointment through his conversation with Happy, are curious to see how Willy will react to yet another letdown. And after seeing how badly he does take it, we know this is the final straw/chapter in his life. Biff has also experienced a moment of truth, but he regards his epiphany as a freeing experience from a lifetime of distorting lies. He wishes to leave behind the facade of the Loman family tradition so that he and his father can begin to have an honest relationship. Willy, on the other hand, wants his sons to help him in rebuilding the elaborate fantasies that have been crushed so many times before. Willy drives Biff to produce a falsely positive report of his interview with Bill Oliver; Happy is all too willing to comply. When Biff fails to produce the expected report, Happy, comes in with lies about the interview. Another point of significance is the event of Biffs Epiphany. Here he realises the truth for the first time I was never a salesman for Bill Oliver and in doing so he shows Willy the truth as well. He actually HAS the epiphany at Olivers office but here is the first time we, as the audience, heard or know of it. Many say that Biff is the main reason why Willy takes his life as Miller states himself: Had Willy been unaware of his separation from values that endure he would have died contently while polishing his car But he was agonized by his awareness of being in a false position, so constantly haunted by the hollowness of everything he put his faith in And so if Biff had not confirmed what Willy had always known all along then maybe Willy might either still be alive or dies happily. However this point is very controversial. Biff is determined to break through the lies surrounding the Loman family in order to come to terms with his own life and his own identity, which his father made for him years a go. Intent on revealing the simple truth behind Willys fantasy: Biffs identity crisis can only be resolved by destroying his and his fathers disillusionment, which has a devastating effect on Willy leading to his suicide. However, taking into account of all the above, I personally believe this act is significant to the play as it provides great sympathy for all of the main characters. Biff, by his stage directions, is made to look sympathetic: (takes a breath, then reaches out and grasps Willys hand). (Smiling bravely) (Gets down on one knee before Willy) and so on. Even by the stage directions, the audience is shown the character of Biff as a sincere and caring person with an undying love for his father. Willy is shown sympathy through the mere bombardment of misfortunes that he faces: I was fired, and Im looking for a little good news to tell your mother . Willy will be onstage in utter confusion and desperation in this scene, (at a loss), and empathy would be felt by the audience due to the music and lighting which places the audience into Willys frame of mind. Happy is given sympathy by the fact that the audience can see that Biff has snapped out of The Great American Pipedream and Happy has not, and in doing so ensures his future life will be just like Willys and that is definitely an aspect for sympathy. Linda also is shown sympathy in this extract as Willy mentions her: because the woman has waited and the woman has suffered . Another factor of the acts significance is that it is riddled with dramatic impact, through lighting, music and action. Music provides a good medium for emotions and also works were as a foreshadow of events-to-come. Music such as the Raucous music used in the setting of the restaurant can show what the event will unfold to be. Also the flute music indicates a more relaxing and nostalgic appeal as the flute was Willys fathers trade. Lighting is a huge dramatic effect as it is the only way, unless the theatre is packed with playwrights, that the audience can understand what is happening especially during flashbacks. (Light on area snaps out). The use of lighting also allows the audience to empathise with Willy by seeing what he does: (light fades low on the restaurant). Also it can be used to set a scene as in the restaurant: a red glow rises behind screen at right, here Miller employs the colour scheme to complement the music, which in turn foretell the upcoming event. There are many dramatic moments in this scene. One of which is the event of the trumpet note: Biff: Listen, will you let me out of it, will you just let me out of it! Happy: What the hell! Willy: Tell me what happened! Biff: (to Happy) I cant talk to him! (A single trumpet note jars in the air) Before this, tension was building up slowly (speeches becoming shorter and shorter), with Biffs frustration to tell his father of his revelation and Willys determination to hear what he wants to. It builds at an exponential rate until the trumpet note. This is used here to empathise to the audience of the final breakdown between father and son. It is also a symbol of the heightened tension and emotions running. The audience is shocked and taken back by this, not suddenly, but still effectively. Sympathy is also felt at this point as these two once worshipped each other and now they are at this time of hatred. We can also, as the audience, know that Biff want to let him out of it (Willys dreams). Another dramatic moment was when Willy tells his boys: I was fired today. This is not a surprise to the audience, as we knew it would come; however when it came comes as a shock. It is abrupt and early on into the scene. Beforehand he was talking in tongue and the audience sees that he is confused. However this speech is a rare piece of metaphorical language used in the play as Miller tries to use as much everyday language as possible to keep a more naturalistic appeal and less focus on how characters are saying things but on what they are actually conveying through speech. He speaks of the woods are burning, which shows the desperation Willy is in and the fact that: he is seeing everything crowding around him, his dreams are burning, his dream of a country retirement, his beloved nature (woods) is being consumed by materialism (fire) and so is he. Also this metaphor re-enforces itself with: burning big blaze fired. This adds troubled depth to his life. The flashbacks that Willy has are very dramatic. Re-enforced using lighting and music as well they seem to patch up key points about the past that are missing. The whole play is about patching up the middle of a story that we already know the ending of Death of a Salesman. I use flashback in a loose sense, as they are not actually flashbacks. They, on stage, would be just as loud as reality, have the same lighting, are not distorted and so on. Also the fact that they are so alike to reality shows us that in Willys desperation to justify his own life, he has destroyed the boundaries from past to present. All of the flashbacks are juxtaposed with scenes of failure. The final dramatic scene in this extract is Happys line of: No, thats not my father. This is incredibly low and spiteful; the audience would not expect this even of Happy, who we know is already quite two faced in the way he acts towards Willy. Extremely tragic. This is right before Biffs elegy of Willy in which he refers to him as a Prince. However Happy cant even acknowledge him as a father. In Happys defence Willy ahs not really been the ideal father, but he still had Haps best interests at heart. However the audience can see that the character of Biff as a changed man: no longer bound into the capitalistic system that engulfed Willy, no longer deluding himself or others, no longer a LOW-MAN. In this extract, references are made to many different other stories. In Biffs speech Miller refers to A Troubled Prince as in Macbeth. In the scene afterwards where Biff is knocking on Willys door, also have similarities to Macbeth. Willys flashback to avoid the truth is reminiscent of Oedipus poking out his eyes. And finally Happys dismissal of Willy is like that of Peter and Jesus. This makes the scene significant as it contains all of these epic references. Death of a Salesman is a tragic tale of a man caught in a system he never got to know. During this restaurant scene, Willy decides he is worth more dead than alive because all he had left was his sons and after their failures and the breakdown of their relationship he is nothing. This scene in the restaurant is the most important of the entire play for this reason. It is also very dramatic as it reveals the death of a man, by the failures of him as a father, a salesman and of a man.

Operant Conditioning in Psychology Essays -- science

Operant Conditioning in Psychology An Example of Operant Conditioning As a student at USC, one can assume that I’ve always taken schoolwork seriously and may even infer that I partake a considerable degree of enjoyment from it, which is by all means an accurate assumption. However, in my early childhood I was often characterized as unruly, uncooperative and impulsive in nature. At that age I had been more interested in social endeavors more so than anything relating to studying or doing schoolwork. It was always a negative issue when I brought it up in a conversation, and that assumption was reinforced through subsequent agreement amongst my peers. Coupled with negative criticism from my teachers of the purported â€Å"attitude† I had in regards to school and my elders, the environment in which I was situated made me all the more indifferent towards academics in general. Instead of studying after school, I would spend most of my time watching TV at home or playing with friends before walking home. At that point in my life my father and mo ther had been pursuing their careers in bio-medical engineering and audiology respectively, so I did not receive as much encouragement or parental monitoring as many of my friends did: In fact my dad would often leave home for weeks at a time to make presentations in other countries about the advancements in biomedical engineering concerning his specialized field and my mom would come back from work in the early evening. The only immediate source of encouragement came from my grandparents who were living with us at the time. Yet because they could only speak Spanish and knew so little about schools in general, they were unable to really help me out with any problems that I would have. One day my parents, after reviewing my report card with another assortment of â€Å"unsatisfactory† grades, decided to take two steps to try and encourage me to get better grades. The first was a transfer to a different school, and the second was a little system they set up: For every â€Å"A† I received on my next progress report I would receive $15 and for every â€Å"B† $5. While I was upset because I would not get to see any of my old friends at the new school, the second part surprised me a little. The fact that the prospective cash out for grabs was an enormous amount for a 7 year made me anticipate all the things I could do with that money. Even ... ...ivation declines which translates to harder work while the reward is in place and conversely to a lower frequency of work when the reward is withdrawn. I must also point that something interesting happened as soon as the material reward was withdrawn and replaced with praise: The act of studying and finalizing my homework then became an intrinsic motivation as my association of it with forced work changed to one of enjoyment, which was reinforced by my success academically. Final Word: Conclusion From then on I began to observe those who were likewise excelling in academics and began to imitate them. What probably drove me was a strong sense of self-efficacy or my perception that I could perform as successfully as they were. This self-efficacy persists to this day, where I now have a strong need for self-actualization, or the need to achieve my full potential. In recent years I have also learned of both self-reinforcement and self-punishment, and how to associate the motivation behind my academic progress not extrinsically as most people do, but intrinsically, something that I am doing just for the sake of doing it. This way I can derive the most from my college experience.

Counterinsurgency in Iraq

Since the start of the Iraq insurgency in 2003 before the ruling of a new supreme government within its borders, the armed resistance of Iraqi security forces, insurgents and militia bursted, as Iraqi rebels instigated an ‘asymmetric war’ with much foreign assistance coming from NGOs and countries like Iran. Instead of attacking only the coalition forces and the acting government, insurgents started to attack even the less significant supporters.This paper suggests that the counterinsurgency in Iraq had been presenting immense risks and destruction to all parties, but especially to the U. S. , which had something to do with demography, economy, and power. By evaluating the event using the three basic criteria, it shall be concluded why counterinsurgency in Iraq should be brought to a halt. As social chaos and economic constraints have not been treated very well, the act of counterinsurgency has only made matters worse, as it brings destruction even to the United States o f America. Main Body Criterion #1: demography-related ruin In terms of demography, counterinsurgency in Iraq had only made matters worse since 2003.In the Information Clearing House article written by Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz entitled ‘The Economics Costs of the Iraq War: An Appraisal Three Years after the Beginning of the Conflict’, it is said that there were approximately 2,000 American combatants who had died from March 2003 to January 2006, and about 16,000 American combatants who had been wounded during those same years (2006, p. 2). However, as of now, the number of deaths went up from 2,000 to 4,147 in totality (Casualties in Iraq, 2008); while the number of wounded went up from 16,000 in early 2006 to exactly 30,561 in totality as of now (Casualties in Iraq, 2008).As of early 2006, this number of deaths led to benefits and insurances that totals a staggering $100,000 death benefits and as much as $500,000 life insurances (Bilmes & Stiglitz, 2006, p. 2). These numbers project the conclusion that demography-related ruin of the United States in the Iraq War damages not just the lives but also the economy of the nation. It can be evaluated that, in terms of demography, destruction brought by the Iraq War projects staggering amount and, thus, a disparaging situation. Criterion #2: economy-related ruinSecondly, in terms of economy, counterinsurgency in Iraq had only made matters worse since 2003. In the newspaper article also written by Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz entitled ‘The Iraq War Will Cost Us $3 Trillion, and Much More’, it was said that failed war at this age costs $3 trillion and that the costs and damages of the Iraq War has surpassed the financial costs of the World War II (2008, p. B01). As it was written, â€Å"As we approach the fifth anniversary of the invasion, Iraq is not only the second longest war in U. S.history (after Vietnam), it is also the second most costly—surpassed only by World War II † (Bilmes & Stiglitz, 2008, p. B01). With a ‘conservative’ estimate of about $12 billion expenses per month (or $16 billion if the one in Afghanistan would be included), the Iraq War depletes America’s resources that should have been allotted to other expenses at this present age. These numbers project the conclusion that economy-related ruin of the United States in the Iraq War damages not just the economy but also the future of the nation.It can be evaluated that, in terms of economy, destruction brought by the Iraq War projects staggering amount and, thus, a similarly disparaging situation. Criterion #3: power-related ruin Lastly, in terms of power, counterinsurgency in Iraq had only made matters worse since 2003. Together with the demographic and economic ruin, national power is being depleted because of the fact that â€Å"population [is] one of the most important indicators of national power because of its importance for determining economic and mili tary power† (Yoshihara, 2008, p.2). According to Susan Yoshihara (2008), Hans Morgenthau has pointed out the eight means of power appear to be the following: (1) geography, (2) natural resources, (3) industrial capacity, (4) military preparedness, (5) population, (6) national character, (7) national morale, and (8) quality of government (p. 3). Therefore, because the Iraq War is destruction to both demography and economy, the third, fourth and fifth means of power that are industrial capacity, military preparedness, and population are also being negatively affected by the war.Destruction to these three means of power implies destruction of power. This projects that demography-related and economy-related ruin of the United States in the Iraq War means power-related ruin. Thus, it can be evaluated that, in terms of power, the Iraq War projects destructive elements that lead to a similarly disparaging situation. Conclusion From the stated paragraphs, it appears that the counterin surgency in Iraq had been presenting immense risks and destruction to all parties, even to the American population.In relation to the three criteria that is demography, economy, and power, we can evaluate that counterinsurgency in Iraq should be brought to a halt. The war had only succeeded in bringing the country more than 4,000 deaths, more than 30,000 wounded, about $3 trillion worth of financial costs, with depleting power and less economic resources. It only brought social chaos and economic constraints. We should bring it to an end. Counterinsurgency can be defined as â€Å"military and political activities undertaken by a government to defeat a rebellion or guerrilla movement† (Counterinsurgency, 2008).As the United States started to invade and occupy Iraq in 2003 (Pirnie & O’Connell, 2008, p. xiii), it is evident that counterinsurgency had been quite tough, as numerous armed groups were united with a common theme that â€Å"[t]he occupation of Iraq by foreign forces is bad† (Pirnie & O’Connell, 2008, p. xiii). Yet, the case appeared to be a lot worse than just plain revolt. References Bilmes, L. , & Stiglitz, J. E. (2006, January). The economic costs of the Iraq war: an appraisal three years after the beginning of the conflict.Information Clearing House. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from http://www. uncle-scam. com/Breaking/jan-06/ich-1-9. PDF. Bilmes, L. J. , & Stiglitz, J. E. (2008, March 9). The Iraq war will cost us $3 trillion, and much more. The Washington Post, p. B01. Casualties in Iraq. (2008). Retrieved August 27, 2008, from http://antiwar. com/casualties/. Counterinsurgency. (2008). In Encarta dictionary. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from MSN database: http://encarta. msn. com/dictionary_1861600753/counterinsurgency. html.Pirnie, B. , & O’Connell, E. (2008). Counterinsurgency in Iraq (2003-2006). RAND Counterinsurgency Study, Vol. 2. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Yoshihara, S. (2008, March 29). American d emographic trends and the future of U. S. Military Power. Paper presented at the annual convention of the International Studies Association, San Francisco. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from the All Academic Research database: http://www. allacademic. com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/5/0/6/3/pages250636/p250636-1. php.

My Student Loans - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 975 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/10/30 Category Finance Essay Level High school Tags: Student Loan Essay Did you like this example? Why I defaulted on My Student Loans written by Lee Siegel shares personal experiences when he was young of why he defaulted on student loans. Loan Default can be described as when a person fails to pay of their loan that was given to them on a specific date. Siegel recommends that college graduates should take his route if you owe a lot of money. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "My Student Loans" essay for you Create order The route that Siegel chose was to borrow money from the Board of Education, and go to a private rather than a state. Thousands of youthful graduates are conveying thousands to a huge number of dollars in understudy credit obligation, understudies are right now confronting a heap of a monetary test. As difficult as it has been. Ive never looked back. The millions of young people today, who collectively owe over $ 1 trillion in loans, may want to consider my example(38). A longside grants, corporations, and awards, understudy credits are an imperative strategy for financing post-auxiliary instruction. With educational cost rising, more understudies are obtaining to pay for school instruction today. Nonetheless, not all understudies understand the weight of paying back their understudy credits. Millions of teenagers moreover millions of college educated students ignore student loan , and ends up affecting them in further life. Lee Siegel emphasizes that the U.S. Department of Education is losing money due to students not paying their student loan debt off. Moreover additional students are defaulting their student loans. Student Loans should not be ignored or get to the point of where he/she defaults them.In a passage Siegel mentions how people are blind to reality, and how that his heart goes out to them. He says how that the circumstances that he was once in will basically never be as worst than that. In this passage Siegel acknowledges that people are currently in the same situation that he was in when he was young. Throughout, the article he gives advice for young teenagers moreover high school graduates that are planning on heading to a university. Even though, default student loans have become a major issue you need to know how to avoid them. Students need to comprehend what budgeting is, and how it can help them. Budgeting can enable understudies to arrange their exercises, creating budgetary destinations, uncover wasteful, ineffectual, or unordinary use of assets, make relatives mindful to utilize cash admirably, and permit acknowledgment of issues before they happen. Albeit great record keeping is required for the financial backing to be useful, once understudies get themselves on a general calendar of planning their funds it turns out to be simply one more day by day/month to month routine of life.Although, Siegel recommends that students should take his route you should not. Student loan default is the worst path to take in order to pay off your college tuition or even if you want to go to a college. A path you can take in order to not have any student loan debt is going to a local community college. Many students are in a rush to go to a university right out of high school, and chose a major that they arent very interested in. High school students that go straight to a university , and are not completely ready for the loan that they will have to pay off is incredible. It has been stated that americans that come out of college owe over $1.48 trillion dollars worldwide. In 2016 a class that graduated from a university moreover a specific student owed $37,172 in student loan debt. For example , my brother goes to UC Berkeley and my sister goes to Duke ( scholarship for soccer ) each month or every two months my parents are paying an average of 30 thousand dollars in order to attend a college of that sort. Even though , they go to that college my parents were mentally prepared to pay of each month the deposit that you would have to put in. Students that are not prepared to pay off their student loans should not rush to go a university , because than later you would have more money building up that you would have to pay off. Another, reason why you shouldnt take Siegels route is because it can ruin your credit. A persons credit score is everything its what allows you to buy a car, get a house/apartment, and anything you can think of most probably your credit score is involved in. For example, my mom forgot to pay off my brothers credit score so now we owe $4,000 to the bank/credit loan. Credit loan is a tremendous problem in todays society , because many people think they can just spend as much money as they want. Even though, you can get whatever you want in the future youre going to have to pay it off so you dont want to go overboard with it ever. Furthermore, Siegel recommends that how you shouldnt go into student loans if you havent saved up enough money in order to get out of it. A way you can save up enough money if you want to go into default student loans is by creating a savings account. A savings account is similar to a bank account rather you put a certain amount of money into your savings , and overtime you earn interest. Every student as well as the youth should have a savings account which usually the parents provide with at a young age. Student loan default has become a major issue throughout many years. Currently the Department of Education is in the process of fixing this issue. Enough then all the pieties about debt that have become absorbed into all the pieties about higher education might be brought into alignment with reality. The government should not guaranteed loans, but rather give students a chance to learn and pay for their college education.