...Peter Tim Soriano Mr. Chalmers ENG 4U 16 December 2013 Illusion and Mendacity In Tennessee Williams’ plays Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire, several characters suffer by lying and by being unaware of reality. Both plays demonstrate and signify the themes of illusion vs. reality and mendacity through past trauma, alcohol abuse, and through strained family and marital relationships. In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brick is an example to all of these factors through his past with his friend skipper, his abuse of alcohol, and the lack of love he shows for his wife, while in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche encounters similar problems as Brick with her past trauma and her alcohol problem. The two plays share many similarities in terms of themes but at the same time also share significant difference. In the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brick is troubled with his past memories that he tries to keep a secret. He mourns the death of his best friend Skipper and the death pushes Brick into a world of imagination and mendacity. He avoids talking about Skipper and when his wife Margaret who is been trying to fix her relationship with Brick brings up the memory of his friend Skipper. Brick gets upset and says, “One man has one great good true thing in his life. One great good thing which is true! – I had a friendship with Skipper. – You are naming it dirty!” (Williams 44) Brick is furious with Margaret as he threatens her with physical abuse before he mentions the one greatest...
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...Marauders, Masks, Maladies, and Mendacities Hypocrisy is a word much bandied about these days. Heard it ad nauseam as a pastor. “I don’t go to the church because of all those hypocrites!” The word often refers to someone who is two-faced or inconsistent in words and deed. It always amazed me that marauders visiting the church for their own benefit accused everyone else of hypocrisy. Assuming their lives void of such a malady, they cast disdain an entire group of people. Seems, hypocrisy is everyone else’s deficit but mine. Right? Hypocrisy – To Wear a Mask Interestingly, “hypocrite” comes from two words describing one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, and a person who acts under a feigned character. A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something...
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...Lies and Mendacity run rampant in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. They help keep the play going and keep it interesting. The play shows us the lies that people tell themselves and other instead of the truth that is hard to accept but must be said. The entire family is involved with lies to Big Daddy and Big Momma, as are the doctors. They tell them that Big Daddy does not have cancer, but only a spastic colon. Brick lies to himself about his feelings for Skipper until Big Daddy forces him to face it. He then understands that he is upset about the way his clean friendship has been misinterpreted. Gooper and Mae pretend to be loving and doting children, when in fact all they want is money and land. Big Mama lies to herself, think all the cruel things Big Daddy says are just jokes. She also lies to herself by thinking that a child from Maggie and Brick would turn Brick into a non-drinking, family man qualified to take over the family place. Big Daddy is even wrapped up in the mendacity. He admits to Brick that he is tired of letting all the lies. He has lied for years about his feelings for his wife, his son Gooper and his daughter-in-law Mae, he says he loves them, when in fact he can't stand any of them. Maggie, who seems to tell close to the truth the entire play, breaks down and lies about her pregnancy. Sometimes the lies are not even lies; they are just seen to be that. Big Daddy thinks that Big Momma is scheming to take over the place, when in fact she really does love him...
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...obligation to dive disinterested advice. Ex: Her father was so disinterested in her progress that he only visited the school once. Syn: Unbiased, neutral Ant: Interested, engaged Fatuous (adj) 1) Silly and pointless 2) Unreal, illusory Ex: Teachers that want students to fail are fatuous. Ex: Brazilians are fatuous about politics. Syn: Inane, stupid Ant: Sensible, reasonable Laconic (adj) 1) Using very few words 2) Using or involving the use of a minimum of words Ex: I am laconic; I like to listen more than I like to talk. Ex: She was laconic, but very opinionated. Syn: Brief, concise Ant: Verbose, loquacious Mendacity (noun) 1) Untruthfulness 2) An instance of lying Ex: Jim cannot find employment at a bank because of his mendacity. Ex: Edward’s mendacity makes him a big winner at the poker tables. Syn: Deception, deceit...
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...‘purify’ the church. The court is the supreme power in all of the provinces in the american continent and under a theocracy. A theocracy is when a religion and the government has a connection which often lead to strict policies, and witchcraft is the worst decision one would make. Out of all the characters in the book, Abigail would be the one most to blame. Each character have different flaw traits, Abigail’s is Lust, Mendacity, and Spitefulness as her main flaws show throughout the book. Lust is when one is driven by desire; preoccupied with or exhibiting sexual diaries. Abigail show this trait whenever she is around John Proctor, especially in the first half of the book. This trait would force her to make accusation to those that get in her way. The youth are more likely in lust unlike the older ones, Proctor regret that decision while Abigail enjoyed it. In the text, it states “I have a sense of heat John and your have drawn me to your window”(Miller, page 21). Abigail mentioned ‘heat’ which is associated to lust with animals having a large desire for sex. Mendacity is the ability to be untruthful, the instance of lying and being false. Abigail often lied to the adults in order to escape in tight situations or to forget about what happened at night. Every time she opens her mouth, there is always a lie. Abigail lied throughout the entire book. In the text, it states “ I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen spirits running out! I have been near murdered every day because...
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...The One to Blame While reading “The Crucible” we were so bewitched by what was happening that we never thought about who caused these trials. There are many characters that could be to blame. Whether it be John Proctor or Reverend Parris. There is only one character whom possess the traits to pull off something like this and not get into trouble. This would be Abigail. In Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” Abigail uses her flaws lust, mendacity, and vengefulness to her advantage. As the play first starts off, Parris is praying over Betty while waiting on Doctor Griggs diagnoses. Susanna Walcott comes to talk about Doctor Griggs findings and the possibility of unnatural causes for Betty’s illness. Parris tells Susanna that his daughter...
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...Facts ). The wonder child entered Oxford College at the tender age of twelve, after which, he followed in his father’s footsteps “enrolling into Lincoln`s Inn graduating from law school in 1963” (Sweet). According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy web page, the era of his upbringing was paved by changes in the social fabric as well as moral structure of society. (Sweet) This experience empowered him to pursue a career as a writer, philosopher and analyst rather than pursuing a career as a lawyer. Jeremy Bentham spent most of his life critiquing as well as developing different theories to try to improve the law system of his time. He later explained his dislike for practicing his learned trade as a direct result of his education. “…mendacity and insincerity … are the only sure effects of an English university education," (Jeremy Bentham Facts ) His father’s death and his newly found wealth allowed Jeremy Bentham to retreat from his social life to pursue his analytical and philosophical passion. The result of his relentless work were numerous manuscripts in the fields of law and business. One of his most famous books is “Introduction to the...
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...and an embellishment of suburbia in reality, Szélpál effectively distinguishes a difference between the the two-- which I believe is important and necessary. Therefore, I disagree with Vermeulen’s statement that he sees no “point in measuring representations to ‘reality’ along the lines of true and false, objective and subjective, ‘realistic’ and unrealistic…” (Vermeulen 4). Although examining the “mise-en-scène” is important, in order to correct the “injustice” done to suburbia it is pertinent to differentiate between how it is perceived versus how it is in actuality (Vermeulen 1). Though their approaches are different, many of their conclusions are the same; both authors agree that suburbia has been developed in a light to represent mendacity and suppressed desires, and death; “Suburbia in these filmic representations is far from the bourgeois utopia; these movies present rather a dystopian place that death often visits” (Szélpál). However, the point at which this development occurred is questionable. Szélpál explains that an inclination to portray the suburbs negatively developed over time altering the public’s perception of suburbia; as opposed to Vermeulen’s suspicion that further investigation would reveal that films have always painted suburban life negatively. His suspicion arises from his examination of “Edmund Goulding’s 1939 melodrama Dark Victory...[which]...meditates the vicissitudes of suburban life through tropes of mundanity and repetitiveness [and] Frank Capra’s...
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... He lies and travels between the town and the country to do what pleases him. “Jack: … in order to get up to town I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes”(Wilde 14). Ernest created his brother and uses his misadventures as an excuse to leave from the country or so that he may make his presence known in the town. He uses his fake brother to escape from his ward, Cecily, and her governess, Miss Prism. While in the town he does what satisfies him, without having to worry about his loved ones ridiculing him for doing so. Ernest lies to escape from the life that he lives and goes away to participate in fun and exciting activities. Algernon’s mendacities enable him to engage in any activities that he feels like doing. “Algernon: I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose”(Wilde 15). Algernon forged an invalid friend and uses his digressed state and poor health to enter the country whenever he develops a longing to do so. Bunbury's ailment benefits Algernon in many ways and Algernon manipulates him incessantly. “Algernon: If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health, for instance, I wouldn’t be able to dine with you at Willis’s tonight, for I have been really engaged to Aunt Augusta for more than a week”(Wilde 15). He also uses his friend Bunbury to free himself of his family. He manipulates...
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...against him, and this being his first time in court “For I am more than seventy years of age, and this is the first time that I have ever appeared in a court of law, and I am quite a stranger to the ways of the place; and therefore I would have you regard me as if I were really a stranger”(Plato). Socrates is able to achieve what he feels is the most imperative knowledge of morality for all present in the court to understand. When we, the readers, are first presented to Socrates we find him near the end of his trial where he is allowed to speak to the court. The sure genius of Socrates is revealed to us in his first words of dialogue. Using his brilliance of moral logic and ethical thinking he warns those present in the court of the mendacity of the accusations, “How you have felt, O men of Athens, at hearing the speeches of my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that their persuasive words almost made me forget who I was - such was the effect of them; and yet they have hardly spoken a word of truth.”(Plato) By not only shooting down the lies of his accusers, Socrates acknowledges that they are not only persuasive to the court but to himself as well. He shows us and the court that he is aware that they have skill in their words. Yet he does make a point that the accusations are false none the less. During his defense, Socrates acknowledges that throughout the years he has had many accusers...
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...Iago’s Strategic Acts of Character Manipulation W.H. Auden once said, "There is more than meets the eye", suggesting that there may be a hidden or deeper meaning behind a person's initial appearance. Lies and deceits are common in society, and many individuals mask their true intentions with a veneer. In Shakespeare's play Othello, the character Iago is no different from those deceptive individuals. Behind his façade as a trustworthy ensign and friend, Iago is a multilayered, deceptive and manipulative villain, concocting chaos and causing mishaps to other characters for revenge. Iago uses his deft and astute strategic acts of manipulation to undermine each character’s weaknesses. He exploits Roderigo’s love for Desdemona, cajoles Cassio under the guise of friendship, and toys with Othello’s mind by playing on his self-doubt. Evidently, Iago manipulates the people around him by using their weaknesses: Roderigo’s naiveté, Cassio’s trusting nature, and Othello’s insecurity, against them. First of all, Iago uses Roderigo’s gullible and naive personality to his advantage. Roderigo’s obsession and lust for Desdemona renders him susceptible to Iago’s manipulation. This obsession causes him to unquestioningly believe anything Iago says in hopes of getting Desdemona. Initially, Iago dupes Roderigo of his fortune. He convinces him that the gold and jewels will be given to Desdemona as a proclamation of his love when in actuality, Iago plans to keep it for himself. Iago states: “Thus...
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...In the rural southern town of Wrongberight, one of its sixty-four residents, vivacious Clemmie Sue Jarvis, who stands 4 feet 3, and looks as if she weighs less than a hummingbird, turned fifty-nine last week. The townsfolk say she possesses less sense than the blessed Lord gave Johnny Homer’s jackass. In fact, this dent in her personality provides them with numerous opportunities to validate their mundane existence. Therefore, when they heard what transpired on Saturday night their wagging tongues, laced with mendacities, instantly, whisper her name during church service, Sunday morning. Blair Roundsquare, a longtime resident of Wrongberight and a writer of erotica novellas, attended church on Sunday and heard every word that the other...
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...Gatsby twists the common ideals of the 1920’s by illustrating the iniquity of these prospects. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, plays the role of the wealthy cultural icon, throwing grand parties while being adored by many. His intentions, however, resonate on a deeper level than simply rising above in social status. All that Gatsby does is based around winning the heart of his deep-rooted love, Daisy Buchanan. While Daisy is beautiful, her beauty is not what mesmerizes Gatsby, but her wealth. Gatsby being born into a poor family generated an obsession with wealth and status that he has worked to attain his whole life. In Daisy he sees wealth, explaining the motives behind Gatsby’s desire while incorporating themes of the American Dream and mendacity. Jay Gatsby epitomizes the American dream which necessitates his obsession with Daisy Buchanan, the personification of wealth. Gatsby’s failure to achieve his goal of winning Daisy illustrates the hypocrisy of the American dream. Jay Gatsby plays the role of the American working man who earned his fortune despite starting from nothing, illustrating his role as the embodiment of the American dream. Throughout the story, Gatsby proves himself to be a representation of the ideal, hard working American. Gatsby gained his fortune through hard work and the inspiration generated by his mentor where he learned the do’s and don'ts of life. Despite his wealth coming from questionable sources, he still went from the bottom to the top. Nick also views...
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...In this essay I will analyse the representation of speech in Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never and thought in Kanye West’s Can’t Tell Me Nothing using approaches developed by G.N. Leech, M.H. Short and S. Rimmon-Kenan. I will use the aspects of Leech and Short’s essay ‘Speech and Thought Presentation’ that I consider to be constructive and compensate the shortcomings of their essay with the improvements – in my view – made in Rimmon-Kenan’s essay. Also, since Rimmon-Kenan’s essay ‘Narration: speech representation’ does not include an account of thought representation, I will convert his distinctions of speech representation. Thus “diegetic summary” (DS) will be “diegetic thought summary” (DTS); “Summary, less ‘purely’ diegetic” will be “Thought Summary, purely diegetic” (TS); “Indirect content paraphrase”(ICP) will be “Indirect thought content paraphrase” (ITC); “Indirect discourse, mimetic to some degree”(ID) will be “ Indirect thought, mimetic to some degree” (IT): “Free indirect discourse” (FID) will be “Free indirect thought” (FIT); “Direct discourse” (DD) will Be “Direct thought” (DT) and “Free direct discourse”(FDD) will be “Free Direct thought” (FDT). ITC, FIT, DT and FDT correspond with Leech and Short’s distinctions (in definition and symbol, except for ITC which correspond with their IT). I will give examples of DTS, TS and ITS: DTS: The bare report of a thought, without any specification of how the thinker felt or the language the thinker used to think. E.g.,...
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...//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////GRE VOCABULARY * McGraw-Hill’s CONQUERING THE NEW GRE Verbal and Writing (2011) 에 나오는 단어 1. abjure 주의, 의견을 버리다. He never did adjure his belief in the big bang theory. 2. abnegate (권리등을) 버리다. 자제하다. The king will abnegate power to his son, the prince. 3. accede 취임하다, 동의하다. Will the boss accede to her worker's demands? 4. accolade 칭찬, 명예 My father won an accolade for bravery in wartime. 5. acrimonious (말, 태도가) 매서운, 격렬한 Their divorce was acrimonious; only the lawyers won. 6. adroitly 교묘하게, Our waiter adroitly balanced several trays at once. 7. aegis 보호, 옹호 He negotiated under the aegis of the prime minister. 8. altruistic 애타주의 Giving away her favorite coat was an altruistic act. 9. ambience 환경, (장소의)분위기 I like the ambience at that tiny corner cafe. 10. anodyne 진통의, 진통제 The singsong music had an anodyne effect. 11. apostate 배신 Having left the church, he was called an apostate. 12. asperity 꺼칠꺼칠함 She spoke with asperity, but her eyes were twinkling. 13. assiduous 근면한 The carpenter was assiduous in lining up the .... 14. auspices 후원, 찬조 The club functions under the auspices of the college. 15. avarice 탐욕 Midas lost his only daughter to his avarice for gold. 16. bacchanal 큰술잔치, 야단법석 Chaperones kept the prom from being a bacchanal. 17. bastion 요새 The D.A.'s office is our bastion against crime. 18. beatific 축복을 주는 Accepting her award, she gave a beatific smile. 19. behemoth 거대기업 The elephant is the behemoth...
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