The Depth of Social Criticism in the Little Black Boyand...

Both poems â€Å"The Little Black Boy† and â€Å"Chimney Sweeper† by William Blake expose the depth of social criticism under different circumstances. The poem â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† has a much stronger reflection on the responsibility of religion and society to take blame for their actions in perpetuating the cycle of slavery. The children being sold into the inhuman conditions of chimney sweeping can’t get out of the dangerous line of work without assistance from adults who instead aid their suffering to continue working as a chimney sweeper. The poem â€Å"The Little Black Boy† has a much different angle to the circumstances of society. The mental barriers constructed by the boy suggest that he has more difficulty accepting his own appearance than most other people do. He believes his physical appearance defines him, and decides to show his difference through actions. The poem â€Å"Chimney Sweeper† by William Blake has a significant s ocial criticism because the situation of the chimney sweepers is easily relatable to the struggle all African Americans faced at least once during the existence of the United States to being slaves. The nature of the reality of the situation for the sweepers is shown through the description of their life and labor. The boy is described as â€Å"A little black thing among the snow†. This description shows the dehumanization these boys are shown. The people viewing them only see their color and not a child working his life sweeping chimneys for no pay. To

Shakespeares Hamlet - Regarding Gertrude Essay - 1965 Words

Regarding Hamlet’s Gertrude In William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy Hamlet, the audience meets a queen who is a former and present queen. She was unhappy before – how does she feel now? Is she evil, guilty, motherly, lascivious? The multiple aspects of her personality deserve our attention. Angela Pitt in â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies† comments that Shakespeare’s Gertrude in Hamlet is, first and foremost, a mother: Gertrude evinces no such need to justify her actions and thereby does not betray any sense of guilt. She is concerned with her present good fortune, and neither lingers over the death of her first husband nor analyses her motives in taking another. . . .She seems a kindly, slow-witted,†¦show more content†¦At the outset of the drama, Hamlet’s mother is apparently disturbed by her son’s appearance in solemn black at the gathering of the court, and she requests of him: Do not for ever with thy vailed lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust: Thou knowst tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. (1.2) The queen obviously considers her son’s dejection to result from his father’s demise. She joins the king in asking Hamlet to stay in Elsinore rather than returning to Wittenberg. Respectfully the prince replies, â€Å"I shall in all my best obey you, madam.† So at the outset the audience notes a decidedly good relationship between Gertrude and those about her in the drama, even though Hamlet’s â€Å"suit of mourning has been a visible and public protest against the royal marriage, a protest in which he is completely alone, and in which he has hurt his mother† (Burton â€Å"Hamlet†). Gertrude would be hurt even more if she were to overhear Hamlet’s first soliloquy, which expresses anger at the quickness of his mother’s marriage and its incestuousness: â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman! . . . .† Mary Bradford-Whiting, in her article â€Å"Mothers in Shakespeare† compares the mother of Juliet to the motherShow MoreRel atedAn Honest Representation Of The Liar1650 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Liar: Gertrude Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, has long been the victim of dissection by English professors and their students. Its multi-faceted plot and sheer length make it a ripe specimen for analysis about nearly anything, given the right spin, but particularly present in this work, and differing from Shakespeare’s usual focal point, is the role of minor characters. While in his other plays the name Messenger is given to one whose sole role is to be a messenger, Hamlet gives full characterRead MoreHamlet Prequel To Hamlet Analysis885 Words   |  4 PagesI thoroughly enjoyed Shakespeare’s Hamlet when our class first read the book in Mr. Allegretti’s class.The interactions and the emotions of the characters were very interesting to me. That’s why when Mr. Simonds recommended Gertrude And Claudius to the class, I became interested in the book when he said it was an unofficial prequel to Hamlet made by a different author. Gertrude And Claudius serves as a prequel to Hamlet and is centered around Princess Gertrude’s point of view. This prequel worksRead MoreHamlet And Gertrude s Relationship1267 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet and Gertrude’s Relationship in Hamlet In many of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, Shakespeare writes about the relationships maintained between his characters. Of these relationships, Shakespeare examines the connection between family members, particularly the relationship between parents and child. In Shakespeare’s tragedy â€Å"Hamlet†, Shakespeare writes about the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Queen Gertrude, to drive the plot forward.. Throughout much of the play, their relationshipRead MoreAn author can reveal characteristics of characters in literature through several different methods.900 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent methods. Some common methods of characterization include one’s appearance, speech, thoughts, name, actions, and emotions. However, unconventional means can also be used, such as imagery, which is visually descriptive or figurative language. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, imagery is used to characterize central characters to the play. Firstly, Hamletâ₠¬â„¢s characteristics are revealed through the imagery of death in his speech. Secondly, Claudius’ characteristics are revealed through the imageryRead More Hamlets Love for His Mother Essay1213 Words   |  5 PagesHamlets Love for His Mother Hamlet is seen as one of the most complex literary character of all time. The relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude can be interpreted in many ways. Hamlet’s motivation for killing Claudius is not to avenge his father’s death, but because of his love for his mother Gertrude. This is where the Oedipus complex comes into play in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The Oedipus complex refers to the thoughts some men have regarding their mother or maternal figuresRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1146 Words   |  5 Pages How certain can one be that they will see tomorrow? How certain can one be that they will see the next second? In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, all of the characters face uncertainty at some point in the story. The character of Hamlet is, for lack of a better term, a laggard; he procrastinates like no other, making him an uncertain character in his entirety. His most famous line is â€Å"To be, or not to be? That is the question.† The entire scene is about Hamlet’s uncertainty about suicideRead MoreThe Complexity Of Vessity Insanity In William Shakespeares Hamlet1016 Words   |  5 Pagescomedy, tragedy, and histories. One of his famous tragedies play is Hamlet, which based on Prince Hamlet’s revengeful plan against his uncle, King Claudius. However, some cr itics question Hamlet’s insanity and they believe Hamlet is actually pretending to be insane. The purpose of this essay is to examine the extent to which the character, Hamlet, is insane. Despite different critics’ opinions regarding Hamlet’s insanity, it seems Hamlet is not insane at the beginning but becomes insane when he confrontsRead MoreGender Construction And Patriarchal Power Structure Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1402 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are various issues regarding gender construction and how women are portrayed in the play. The women of the play have zero to no power and control over situations and are often viewed as weak and incapable. The idea of power and control over women is widely shown through Ophelia’s character, who does not get to choose how her future will play out and who she will spend it with. This thoroughly connects to the Oedipus complex in the play as Gertrude’s sexua lityRead MorePolonius Mistakes Essay1742 Words   |  7 Pagesbehavior in Shakespeares Hamlet. Polonius is a domestic tyrant wreaking on his son and his daughter revenge for his own spoiled life (Bloom 111) and is an elderly and longwinded courtier and chief counselor (Dominic 96) to the king. Polonius is in a high position in the Danish court, and he has a problem with talking too much. He is only concerned about his reputation, not Ophelia, the young and innocent daughter of Polonius . . . (Polonius Benet). The main character, Hamlet, is the sonRead MoreFilm Adaptation of William Shakespeares Hamlet1644 Words   |  7 PagesHamlet Film Adaptations Hamlet is perhaps William Shakespeares most famous of his many plays. Even people who have not read the play or seen it performed or watched one of the many film versions knows that basic elements of the plot. Young Hamlet is mourning the death of his father who, as it turns out has been murdered by his uncle so that the latter can take over the throne and marry the queen, his brothers widow. Hamlet decides to be crazy in order to determine his Uncle Claudiuss guilt in

Morality in the Bible Free Essays

Many speculations and debates had been flourished about the base morality in the bible. The Holy Bible has been there for centuries but still many condemns it by not believing to what is writer. Many take the teachings into their personal interpretation and practice without proper understanding of what they are undertaking. We will write a custom essay sample on Morality in the Bible? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Bible is said to be the base or foundation in solving human morality. It has all the solutions to the chaos and conflicts. Let’s take into account of one controversy: Stated in Leviticus 17: 10-14, â€Å"And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood; neither shall any stranger that so journeth among you eat blood. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.† This verse explains well how important blood represents in the Bible. Like an example, the blood of Jesus Christ was used as the cleansing of the sins of the world. This believe is of the Christians. â€Å"Is it morally right for blood to be transfused from one person to another? Most religions permit it, but the Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that biblical principles properly understood condemn it. Who is right? When the Bible was being written, the technology for transfusing blood didn’t exist, so the Bible did not directly address this problem. The same is true of numerous other technologies now available to us. The transplantation of body organs (including even cross-species transplants), artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, genetic mapping, gene splicing–these are all technologies that were developed after the Bible was written, so what is the â€Å"correct† moral position to take on these issues? Through processes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantations, a woman in USA gave birth to her own grandchildren. Was it morally right for her to do this? What does the Bible say? Well, of course, the Bible doesn’t say anything about this or any of the other technological procedures mentioned above. If we asked a hundred theologians to take their Bibles and resolve the moral dilemmas posed by these technologies, we would find ourselves hopelessly trapped in a maze of confusion when all of their answers were in (Till, Farell).† Many tribes across the world eat blood by including the blood in foods. Some drink it fresh. There are many ways how people intake the blood. What are the differences in blood transfusion and taking it in as food? Will this resolve the problem of moral ethics with regards to the notion of blood as sacred? As we may see, many views to this argument rise. This depends to how a person views this topic and has them believe as to what has been set by the norms. List of References Till, Farell. No Morality without the Bible. 28 Nov. 2003. The Skeptical Review Vol.5 #1. 01 December 2006 ;http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1994/1/1front94.html;. The American Stan How to cite Morality in the Bible?, Essay examples

Kant VS Mill Persuasive Essay Example For Students

Kant VS Mill Persuasive Essay Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant was born, lived and passed away in his home town of Konigsberg. He lived from 1724 to 1804. He studied at the local university and later returned to tutor and lecture students. It wasnt until he met an English merchant by the name of Joseph Green that Kant learned of David Hume and began to develop his ideas of morals and values. Kants Critique of Pure Reason (1781) is believed by many to be his greatest work. Kants was known mainly, however, for his moral code The Categorical Imperative. Immanuel Kant was a follower of Deontology, or duty ethics. This means that for an act to be moral it must be performed out of duty. If you are concerned for the end product of your actions it is not a moral act. Only when your action is done in such a way that your only concern is the action itself is it a moral act. For example if a child runs into the street in front of a car and you grab that child you have performed a moral act. You are not worried about the outcome; your only concern is the act of grabbing the child. If, however, it is your child then your only concern is that your child is safe regardless the consequences of your actions. This then would not be considered a moral act. Kant states that your duty to act comes from your good will. He describes the good will as the process by which we make our decisions. It is, as its name states, inherently good. It is something we have from the moment we are born. In his Categorical Imperative Immanuel Kant explains what it means to act in accordance with universal law through his correlation of good will, reason, and duty. He says, I should never act except in such a way that I can will that my maxim should become a universal law. This means that when one is faced with a moral decision they are forced to observe a maxim. A maxim is an intention or a plan that we are to apply to the categorical imperative. The maxim provides us with a sound test see if our actions are moral our immoral. When deciding about our actions we are to ask ourselves the question of whether you would will that everyone did the same thing that you are about to do at the same time in the same circumstances. You are to universalize your decision so that you would wish everyone would do the same. John Stuart MillJohn Stuart Mill was born in London. Mill lived from 1806 to 1873. He had a very structured upbringing. His father made certain he excelled scholastically. At the age of 21 he had a nervous breakdown due to his rigorous studying habits. In 1863 Mill wrote Utilitarianism. This was written as a response to Kantianism.