Building A Fence Around August English Literature Essay

Building A Fence Around August English Literature Essay Family life of the 1950’s was different from any other time in America’s history. Many soldiers returned home from war and married young, in hopes to create simpler lives for their families. For so many, this was the white American Dream. For African Americans, this dream was much harder to attain. For Troy Maxson, the tragic hero in August Wilson’s Fences, this was no exception. In her essay, â€Å"Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson’s Fences† Susan Koprince notes that for Troy, â€Å"the American dreamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦turned into a prolonged nightmare† (1104). Racism, segregation, and poverty ran amuck and many blacks found it difficult to find success in this white man’s world. However, at the heart of all of Wilson’s classic and timeless works, are what he refers to as â€Å"the Big Themes†, â€Å"love, honor, duty, [and] betrayal† (Miles, 1096). These universal themes are integral and allow readers to understand the plight that black families in the fifties had to endure, in order to get by. Troy Maxson, above all else, takes to heart his duties as a sole provider for his family. However, Troy often finds himself torn between a desire for more personal liberties in his own life and a sense of commitment to care for his family. These duties to his family are not without fault. Although Troy is a wonderful financial provider for the family, he still feels he does not need to show affection to any of his children. This rings particularly true for his youngest son, Cory. While they work to erect a fence around their yard, Cory asks his father, â€Å"‘How come you ain’t never liked me?'† Troy, furious at this inquiry, tells Cory, â€Å"‘it’s my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Not cause I like you! Cause you my son'† (Wilson, 1049-50). As breadwinner for the family, Troy necessitates himself to deliver food and shelter, but he makes it clear to Cory, as sole provider, that is all he is required to give. Furthermore, Troy’s remarks show readers just how defeated he is of the never-ending task of caring for his family. Troy, however, is not the only member of the household that has an obligation to the family. After Troy confesses to Rose about his affair and the child that Alberta is carrying, Rose chides, â€Å"‘I gave everything I had to try and erase the doubt that you wasn’t the finest man in the world†¦Cause you was my husband'† (1067). These remarks allow readers to grasp the role Rose undertakes as Troy’s loving and faithful wife. Harry J. Elam Jr. notes in his essay, â€Å"August Wilson† that, â€Å"Troy’s adulteryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ propels Rose, to reassess her situation, to gain a greater self-awareness, to change (1102). Rose is a powerful representative of steadfast loyalty; she remains committed to Troy and her duties to hi m, despite his unfaithfulness to her. Even as she undertakes the role of caring for Troy’s lovechild, Rose evokes a powerful sense of sympathy from readers. Despite the infidelity, Rose decides to stay with Troy for the sake of the family. This act additionally solidifies her duty as a wife and mother. In the argument with Rose, following his confession, Troy exclaims that he has spent his whole life trying to live a â€Å"‘decent†¦cleanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦hardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦useful life'† (Wilson, 1066). This remark illustrates how Troy has always been the provider of the home they shared for many years, even though the affair may have only recently started. It appears to readers that through this comment, Troy justifies his own reasons for the infidelity. In his essay â€Å"Fiery Fences,† Clive Barnes remarks how Troy eventually â€Å"sees himself as a man fenced in with responsibilities† (1085). Ironically, the fence Troy erects around his home, i mprisons him from achieving the independence he so desperately craves.

How far was Maragaret Thatcher to blame for her downfall Essay

How far was Maragaret Thatcher to blame for her downfall - Essay Example The concept of collective development through Globalization was a new concept for the British public at that time. Unemployment, Privatization of the public companies and the revised tax system were the main areas were the British public differenced with Mrs. Thatcher which ultimately resulted in her ouster from the prime minister ship. Now the â€Å"Thatcherism† and its importance were recognized by the British public more than ever. Mrs. Thatcher was fortunate enough to witness all such changes in attitudes of the British public against her and her policies. Most of her economic, social and political policies were still debated. Though her policies succeeded in reducing inflation and budget expenditures the people of Britain suffered lot of indirect tax increases, social inequalities and unemployment during her services in the prime minister’s office. â€Å"Even as the rest of Europe toyed with socialism and state ownership, she set about privatizing the nationalized industries, which had been hitherto sacrosanct, no matter how inefficient. It worked. British Airways, an embarrassingly slovenly national carrier that very seldom showed a profit, was privatized and transformed into one of the worlds best and most profitable airlines†1 â€Å"When Margaret Thatcher took office, there were 3 million private shareholders; when she left, there were almost 11 and a half million. The tabloid newspapers latched onto this and joined their broadsheet cousins in publishing alongside the racing columns share market information and news. The popularity of privatization increased as each industry was floated on the stock exchange. When the gas industry was launched, the shares were oversubscribed by 500 percent†2 . â€Å"Before 1987 several key industries and public utilities had been transferred to private ownership, including th e telephone system, the ports, British Gas, Thatcher believed in reduced involvement

Discussing Linguistics Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussing Linguistics Issues - Assignment Example â€Å"Phatic Communication† refers to everyday small talk. It may consist of repeatedly and trite phrases. However, it is impossible to live without any phatic communication throughout the day regardless of how clichà ©d it appears to be. It may be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal communications would include " hi" and "hello", small talk about weather, sports and politics, while non-verbal communications would consist of waving to a friend at the bus stop or ending a business deal with a firm handshake. In the cyber world, chat rooms are a perfect example of phatic communications. Phatic communications are usually devoid of any facts or figures or useful information, but it helps an individual, to a great extent, to socialize with ease and to remain in touch with one's colleagues, friends, family members without putting any pressure to be informative on him or her (Michael Pollick) Meaning of a word refers to a feature common to all scenarios. That means a word would carrying all meanings, which would be appropriate socially, culturally and also conforms to reality. However, the true and complete meaning of a word is only understood when used while socializing with other people. However, there is never one meaning of the word. Different people use a word differently, in different situations. "Social Meaning" refers to the meaning of a word that is most commonly used. A word may have many meanings but there might be few or one that is most frequently used by people while communicating and socializing with other people this is the "social meaning" of the word. (Bloch, Trager,1942)