Eulogy for Father :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Father I stand before you today to pay my last respects, and to say my final goodbyes, to my father Harry. I have to admit at the outset that it is very difficult to do this. The difficulty is not just due to the obvious causes -- the sadness, the grief, and the sense of loss. Nor is it due to the confrontation with death in its utter finality, and the resulting fear regarding one's own mortality. No, this is difficult for me primarily because of all of the unfinished business that I have with my father. And while a part of me continues to nurture the hope that, had he lived longer, I would have been able to finish my business, I have to acknowledge that this is not true. Because, the fact is, it is very hard for sons to ever attain a really clear perspective on their own fathers. I know this to be true from my 20 years of experience as a psychologist whose central interest has been fatherhood. In the Fatherhood Course that I teach, this issue of son-father business usually comes up in the first class. We might be talking about why the men decided to enroll in the course, and after a few guys give the standard reasons, and others make some quips, the mood palpably shifts to serious as one father speaks, lower lip quivering: "You want to know why I am here? I'll tell you why I am here. I am here so that my little son Timmy will not feel as bad about me when he's grown up as I do about my own dad." The man's words hit the room like a hurricane, and soon the theme of father son business is on every man's lips. The fathers then become sons and talk about the grief, pain and bitterness they feel toward their own fathers. Let's go into the classroom now, so that you can hear these men's voices: "I never know what my father thought. He just would never talk about himself." "I know he loved us because he was a good provider. He worked two jobs in order to put all five of us though parochial school and several of us though college. But I never knew if he liked me." "To this day I wonder what he really thinks of me. Is he proud of me?" "Every time I call home, Dad answers the phone, and it usually goes like this: `Hi.

Essay --

Few people know but, more than half of americans own an Apple product. The huge tech company was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The company was later incorporated on January 3, 1977. Apple is known as one of the most advanced technology companies in the United States. Apple is behind the largest technological revolution in history. Apple has set itself above all other technology companies. The company has a certain way of leaving customers on the edge of their seats waiting for the latest and greatest Apple product. Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak had been friends since high school, and they both were very interested in electronics. After they both dropped of school, both of them end up in a profession related to electronics. Jobs got a job at Atari, and Wozniak at HP. Wozniak had been the initial designer for the very first Apple computer. Jobs had an eye for the future and convinced Wozniak that they should sell the computer. Soon enough on April 1, 1976, Apple had begun. In the beginning people did not take Apple very seriously. In 1977 however Apple introduced the Apple II, that when the company took off. The introduction of the Apple II opened doors for the company. It was the first computer with a hard plastic outer shell, it also was the first computer that had color graphics. The Apple II was basically the start of the company. Another thing that boosted the company in 1978 was the Apple Disk II, which was just an easy, inexpensive floppy drive. With all the sales rising, the companies n umbers began to rise as well. In 1980 Apple had a few thousand employees. 1980 was also the year Apple released its latest computer the Apple III. It was in 1979 when Jobs and a few engineers began working on ... ...that received the licensing felt that Apple was too restrictive on their agreements. Through the years, Apples big problem was not just selling the computers, but building them. In June of 1995, Apple had over one billion dollars worth of backorders, and did not have the materials to build them. On top of the current problems Apple was facing, Windows had released its latest version of its software, Window ‘95, which was too similar to the Mac and yet more simplistic. Pretty soon Spindler was asked to resign due to major losses the company faced when Apple had posted a loss of sixty-eight million dollars due to a misjudge of the market. Spindler was replaced by Gil Amelio, who was previously the president of the National Semiconductor. Through 1996 and part of 1997 Ameilo did his best to help Apple bring back is profit, but in the end his efforts were unsuccessful.

Othello’s Universality of Appeal :: Othello essays

Othello’s Universality of Appeal  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The Shakespearean play Othello has enjoyed popularity on the stage and in print for 400 years. What are the features which enhance this quality among readers? And what detracts?    Does the playwright’s use of â€Å"double time† contribute to its universality of appeal? In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the advantages of â€Å"double time† to Shakespeare:    â€Å"Double time† is a classical topic of Othello criticism; one of its uses is to remind us that the play, more largely considered, is characterized by a kind of imaginative duplicity. Thus one can isolate a plot of monumental and satisfying simplicity without forgetting that the text can be made to support very different interpretations. The richness of the tragedy derives from uncancelled suggestions, from latent subplots operating in terms of imagery as well as character, even from hints of large philosophical and theological contexts which are not fully developed. (1200)    Additional reasons exist for such a broad appeal. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains in broad terms the basis for the play’s universality of appeal:    If, however, the interpretation offered above is sound, Othello is clearly not without universal significance, for, apart from its dramatization of the difficulty of discovering reality behind appearance, its two main characters exemplify opposing principles which together constitute the human psyche. Othello believes in love, in complete commitment, in nobility, in vocation, and in absolutes. Iago believes in nothing, and least of all in other human beings. (39)    More reasons for the play’s popularity appear. A. C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, describes the modernity of the drama as a reason for its popularity:    One result of the prominence of the element of intrigue is that Othello is less unlike a story of private life than any other of the great tragedies. And this impression is strengthened in further ways. [. . .] But Othello is a drama of modern life; when it first appeared it was a drama almost of contemporary life, for the date of the Turkish attack of Cyprus is 1570. The characters come close to us, and the application of the drama to ourselves (if the phrase may be pardoned) is more immediate than it can be in Hamlet or Lear. Besides this, their fortunes affect us as those of private individuals more than is possible in any of the later tragedies with the exception of Timon.

Canon in D Major

Canon in D Major I’m listening to Canon in D major by Johann Pachelbel; played by the London Symphony Orchestra who are from London, England. They’re all professional adult musicians; they're very good, in tune and together. The piece is unique and very famous. It’s Johann Pachelbel’s most famous piece, most often played at weddings. The piece is in 4/4 time and in D major. It has a slow tempo, smooth rhythm, and long, full bowing. They’re bowing sounds like it’s always together in each section; like they’re all going in the same direction.Dynamics stay about the same throughout the piece; in piano/mezzo piano. It starts in piano. Sometimes it’s in mezzoforte but it doesn’t sound like it gets louder than that, except for the nice, loud, and strong ending. As far as the intonation of the piece, it gets softer as the notes are longer/slower (whole and half notes) and then slowly crescendos as the notes are shorter/faster (q uarter and eighth/sixteenth notes). The melody is always louder than the other parts.The articulation and the intonation are very consistent and similar with the melody being louder than the other parts and the crescendos into faster parts and then the decrescendos into slower, even smoother parts. I like this piece a lot, it’s very pretty and I want to learn how to play it. I really like how sometimes it’s all in unison and sometimes every section has a different part. I also really like how it’s smooth and slow at some parts and then faster but still smooth at other parts. I really love how all of the parts harmonize together perfectly. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=s3RRQypEf4I=related

Ariel and Caliban Essay

   It could be suggested that every time he retells Ariel’s history, he must increase both the persuasiveness of his own story and his control over Ariel. This is why he now chooses to claim that Ariel is behaving badly, so that he can justify a retelling of the history even though Ariel is perfectly respectable in his approach towards Prospero. Even though he reminds Ariel of the misery that was suffered whilst in the pine tree, (â€Å"Thy groans† â€Å"Did make wolves howl†) He counteracts his own good deeds with a forceful display of his own magical power, threatening to trap Ariel up in the tree like the witch, Sycorax did. Prospero exercises control both physically and intellectually by controlling the way Ariel and Miranda think about their lives, he makes it very difficult for them to imagine that challenging his authority would be a good thing to do, and by after threatening Ariel (and Caliban in proceeding lines) which magical torture he makes the idea unattractive thus resulting in Ariel promising to â€Å"do my spiriting gently. † It is at this point worth outlining the character of Caliban and some possible links with Ariel. Caliban is Prospero’s earthly slave, often referred to as a monster by the other characters, he is the son of a witch hag and the only real native to the island. In his first speech to Prospero, Caliban insists that Prospero stole the island from him. It could be suggested that Calibans situation is much the same as Prospero’s, as his brother usurped his own kingdom in the same way that Prospero has stolen the island from Caliban. Similarly, Caliban’s desire for rulership of the island mirrors the lust for power which led Antonio to overthrow Prospero. From this, again, we see the callous side of Prospero thus confirming our interpretations which were formed from rhetoric between Prospero to Miranda and Ariel. â€Å"Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam; come forth† This is very direct, and commanding towards Caliban. From dialogue between Prospero and Caliban it is evident that Caliban somewhat despises Prospero and whilst bound to slavery he’s completely reluctant to carry out the tasks that Prospero is commanding of him. â€Å"A South-west blow on ye, and blister you all o’er† We again see a threatening side of Prospero when he threatens to give Caliban cramps. â€Å"To night thou shalt have cramps. † Caliban expresses his disapproval at this point again, and reminds Prospero that he showed him round the island when he first arrived that belonged to himself. Then much like Prospero did with Ariel, he accuses Caliban of being ungrateful for the good deeds that Prospero has done for him. After much dialogue between Prospero and Caliban, Shakespeare delivers us with a key line from Caliban. â€Å"You taught me language, and my profit on it Is, I know how to curse: the red plague rid you for learning me your language† Firstly, this shows us that human nature teaches Caliban to be observant, as he is cunningly noting that he only knows how to curse because Prospero taught him how to speak. However, it could be suggested that this has a deeper meaning and is centred around one of the main themes present in â€Å"The Tempest. â€Å"- Colonialism. The quotation shows part of the relationship between the colonized (Caliban,) and the colonizer, (Prospero. ) It is here, that the relationship between these two parties can be explored. Caliban sees Prospero as simply oppressive whilst on the other hand, Prospero claims that he has cared for and educated Caliban. However, as the key quotation suggests during this so called education and colonization, problems do arise, and it is at this stage where the colonizer and the colonized see and value the human language as two separate entities. Prospero sees language as a form of knowing oneself and considers it to be valuable tool, however Caliban is showing nothing but curse and resentment for this precious gift that has been given to him. In light of the character of Caliban that is displayed to us in rhetoric between himself and Prospero, there is a contrast in character when Caliban is engaging with Stephano in 2. 2. In this section of the play we are provided with Caliban’s act of charity through colourful descriptive speeches about the island. â€Å"I’ll show thee the best springs: I’ll pluck thee berries. † â€Å"And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts. † This shows Caliban being charitable towards Stephano, but perhaps more importantly – it confirms to us as an audience that Caliban does have extensive knowledge about the island, and did really occupy the island before he was overthrown by Prospero, possibly suggesting that his treatment by Prospero is unjust. It is quite clear from the play and this analysis that Prospero undoubtedly rules over both Caliban and Ariel, however the dynamics between these characters leaves potential for comparisons and contrasts, thus the first obvious one being the likeness of the two, as they both fall under Prospero’s authority. The next possible association for dissimilarity between Ariel and Caliban is that Caliban attempts to use language as a weapon against Prospero, just as Prospero uses it against Caliban. When Caliban admits he tried to rape Miranda instead of showing remorse, he says that he wishes he would have been able to finish the deed so that the island could have been â€Å"peopled with Calibans. † (1. 2) As highlighted previously, Caliban uses language as a tool against Prospero and has somewhat figured out that it could be a key to his freedom if he betters Prospero in one of their cursing matches, however Caliban only backs down because he fears Prosperos magic which he knows is so powerful. When Ariel re-enters in 1. 2 it creates an immediate and powerful change which shows the audience the stark contrasts between Ariel and Prospero. Whilst Caliban is coarse and resentful, described as a â€Å"Lying Slave† and â€Å"Poisonous,†, Ariel is delicate refined and gracious described as an â€Å"Airy Spirit. † This provides a striking contrast, as Ariel is not of the earth, whereas Caliban quite clearly is â€Å"of the earth. † Although the two both serve Prospero, Ariel serves him willingly, hopeful for his freedom, whilst Caliban resists serving him at all costs. It could be suggested that upon Prospero’s arrival on the island, he enslaved Caliban and freed the bright airy spirit, Ariel. It is at this point, worth referring to some historical context and some other interpretations upon the subject of colonialism. Many readers of â€Å"The Tempest† have interpreted it as an allegory about European colonialism which lends itself to Prospero’s treatment of Ariel and Caliban, this represents the disruptive nature of European colonization on native societies. Prospero’s colonization has left Caliban, the original owner of the island, subject to a life of slavery and hatred solely on account of his dark appearance. In conclusion, Caliban both mirrors and contrasts with Ariel. Ariel, is an airy spirit and Caliban is â€Å"of the earth† with speeches that reference closely to items of the earth such as pig-nuts and crabapples.   

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Existentialism

What if everything gets one nothing? What if it was true that man has the power to do whatever he pleases, but in the end all of it will mean – for lack of a better term – nothing? This school of thought is called existentialism, which is crucial in Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead – an absurdly written response to William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern experience times of enlightenment, humor, and sorrow throughout their journey, leading them to ponder whether their livelihood actually has some sort of positive meaning. However, the ultimate gift of death crept up on them, without any explanation or hope, for all eternity. The ideas of existentialism are shown in the play through unstable identities, uncertain knowledge of the past, and anti-heroes which lead to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s ultimate fate – their feared deaths. Unstable identities in the play contribute to the idea of existentialism by making Rosencrantz and Guildenstern indistinguishable, emphasizing their need for meaning. When introducing themselves to the Player and the tragedians, Rosencrantz announces, â€Å"My name is Guildenstern, and this is Rosencrantz†¦I’m sorry – his name is Guildenstern and I’m Rosencrantz† (Stoppard 22). Their own deprivation of identity shows that the meaning in their individual lives is lost, making them into cynical, unrecognizable objects. In addition, they have lost their idiosyncrasies, creating a problem for other characters in distinguishing between the two. During a discussion about the King giving them an equal amount of money, Guildenstern exclaims that the king â€Å"wouldn’t discriminate between [them]† (Stoppard 104). To the King, Ros and Guil are simply two objects that are willing to assist in any way possible; to him, there is no point in getting to know them individually. The King’s lack of differentiation between the two shows that Ros and Guil have lost a deeper meaning to the King, leading to the bereavement of identity. The ambiguous identities of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern obliged their characters to embody no purpose, inflicting the idea of existentialism. Ros and Guil’s doomful deaths were caused by their nonexistent individuality. The pair’s past also lead them through an existential drift; without meaning in their past, the pair still have nothing to go on. The uncertainty of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s past supplements the idea of existentialism by making the play enigmatic. While walking along the path to Elsinore Castle, Ros and Guil attempt to comprehend what they are doing before making the expedition to the estate; Guil asks Ros, â€Å"What’s the first thing you remember? † and Ros replies, â€Å"Oh, let’s see†¦the first thing that comes into my head, you mean?†¦ Ah. It’s no good, it’s gone† (Stoppard 16). Ros and Guil are not able to recollect past events due to the fact that the prior matters adhered no meaning. Even when Ros and Guil are dying, they cannot recall what they have done to deserve this with Ros crying, â€Å"We’ve done nothing wrong! We didn’t harm anyone. Did we? † and Guil replies â€Å"I canâ₠¬â„¢t remember† (Stoppard 125). At their dying second, Ros and Guil are still unable to fathom what they have or have not done. Their past events are proven to be meaningless, leading them to an existential wandering containing no answers. Also through the use of anti-heroes, Stoppard made Rosencrantz and Guildenstern useless individuals who could not carry out a duty without the succor of one another. An anti-hero, in some cases, considers his or herself to be incapable of completing tasks while being corrupt, sullen, and disaffected. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern entrust each other to get through all dilemmas and yet they still become confused. When deciding what their next undertaking shall be, Guil asks Ros, â€Å"What are we going to do now? and Ros replies, â€Å"I don’t know. What do you want to do? † (Stoppard 17). Using a popular decision-making device, Ros and Guil reveal that they do not have the confidence to decide what to do and to execute the decision. Confidence is an indicator of optimism, responsibility, and initiative; Ros and Guil occupy none of these positive attributes, giving manifestation of anti-heroes. Also, Ros and Guil count on the King’s letter to get through the peregr ination, with Guil saying, â€Å"Everything is explained in the letter. We count on that† (Stoppard 105). Ros and Guil refer to the letter whenever a predicament arises, urging them to resolve the issue. With the letter epitomizing their fate, it is what they count on the most. The pair fails to envisage that one another and the letter were the ultimate factors that lead to their demise. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern live up to the idea of anti-heroes in existentialism by being each other’s hopeless backbones and depending on the letter, which leads them to their fateful deaths. Through the utilization of vacillating identities, unforeseeable knowledge of the past, and anti-heroes, existentialism augmented Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s ultimate kismet – their anticipated deaths. Tom Stoppard leads Ros and Guil through an obscure existence that turns out to encompass nothing. With this, the reader might ask, â€Å"What is life without purpose? † – And one can say that it is certainly no life at all.

Gender & Sexuality Essay

Here I am going to talk about gender and sexuality choices which are shaped by society. I am going to talk about the painful, bitter conflict about sexuality which is vexing us especially in the United States, and which we are imposing on the rest of the world. We will explore several different sexual choices, some have been around since the beginning of time, while others seem to be new to us all. The angry, hurtful debate in this country about whether we have the right to our own choices and should our legal and social structures be â€Å"gay, bi, tri-affirming† , or should we reject these aspect as part of our society. In order to be happy, in order to develop the capacities God has given us and in order to make the world the manifestation of justice that God wants it to be, we need to change the shape of society and change our understanding of our own selves. First you need to know the difference between gender and sexuality before we proceed. For many this seems to be a touchy subject. Gender is a range of characteristics of feminity and masculinity. Gender refers to the state of being male or female. â€Å"Gender† is now commonly used even to refer to the physical anatomy. Gender begins to be formed from the time a child is born. beginning with the obligatory pink and blue blanket, gender is implicated in everything we do. From the cloths we wear to the food we eat to the types of work we do, sex role differentiation, and pressure to confirm to the box of gender. Gender socialization starts at childhood and pretty much goes on until death. As a result of the pervasive attention that we give to gender, gender is pretty much implicated in everything we do. Beyond the basic fact that gender is something we focus a lot of attention on, there are a lot of strong opinions, theories, and emotions surrounding it. medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Gender+(sociology) Gender is and important topic  because, over and above all the argument and rhetoric and research and opinion, is the basic fact that all over the world, in pretty much every culture that exists, women are treated differently than men. I could be much  more elaborate on this gender topic although I would spend all day on this topic alone, so we move on to sex and sexuality. Sex is defined by the genitalia an individual possess. We will expand sex to sexuality, which refers to your sexual orientation. Sexuality would deal with your choice of sexual activity and your sexual feelings. So sexuality would refer to who you are attracted to. Wither it be man and women or two men or a mix of the previously mentioned. From the beginning of time the bible only stated the man and woman as being the â€Å"right choice† of sexuality. But as time goes on we are further understanding and studying different sexual choices. I want to go into detail on a few of these new choices of sexualit y. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuality In today’s society there exists a huge variety of issues with sexuality’s. Some topics when discussed tend to raise the blood pressure of many citizens. There are a handful of topics dealing with sexual choices that always seem to heightened opinions An issue that has in recent years, begun to command the intensity of the crowd, is the acceptability of homosexuality in mainstream society. People with a homosexual orientation can express their sexuality in a variety of ways, and may or may not express it in their behaviors. Many have sexual relationships predominately with people of their own gender identity, though some have sexual relationships with those of the opposite gender, bisexual relationships, or none at all. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, this revelation was considered a grave secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society at large. However, it seems that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples some of the rights given to heterosexual couples. The idea of coming out of the closet has moved to the forefront of homosexual individuals when it use to be the exception. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/homosexual Another type of sexuality is bisexuality. Bisexuality is romantic and, or sexual attraction toward males and females. The term is especially used to explain sexual attraction, sexual feelings toward men and women.with some sources try to say if they are bisexual the individual is attracted to all genders although it is unclear if there is more attraction to one more than  the other, or if you should be equally attracted to each sex to be considered bi-sexual. This matter is also controversial although I don’t find it to be under so much scrutiny as homosexuality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisexuality Today we also have come to put a small group of people who do not have sexual interest into a category called Asexual. Some say that the asexual category is used for those who are finding themselves for a brief period of time. Researchers so far are unable to agree on a clear definition of this sexuality choice, asexual. So far all they can agree on is asexual is a term to describe a lack or absence of sexual attraction or desire. Asexuality has great levels of variation from person to person. Every individual case that has been studied has been different. Most say they have sexual attraction but have no urge to act on it. This is because they have to true desire or need to engage in sexual or non-sexual activity. This means that they hold hands and cuddle but have no intentions of going any further. Also, some individuals will only have sex as a release but find little or no enjoyment of sex. Some asexual men are completely unable to get an erection and sexual activity is completely impossible for them. Asexuals also differ in their feelings towards performing sex acts. Some are indifferent and may even have sex for the benefit of a romantic partner, while others are more strongly against the idea even though they do not necessarily dislike other people for having sex as long as it does not involve them. Some researchers believe asexuality should be considered a disorder, while others find it normal. Only 2 to 3 percent of the entire world notably are asexual. There have been many studies although after reading many of them I don’t believe it gives accurate information on the classification of asexual. Asexuality is still a relatively new term and is yet to have a clear and distinct definition and or label. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/asexual In today’s society we have too many sexual choices to mention here. Although to give you an idea we have come to use a scale instead of a single box to identify your sexual choices. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s a sex researcher by the name of Doctor Alfred Kinsey and his colleagues published two books called Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in  the Human Female based on the study of human sexuality. These works are also known as the â€Å"Kinsey Reports†. One of Doctor Kinsey’s most well known theories is the â€Å"Heterosexual/ Homosexual Rating Scale,† which rates a person’s homosexuality or heterosexuality on a 7-point continuum. Kinsey said you had to keep in mind, however, that it is normal for a heterosexual person to have thoughts, dreams or even fantasies about members of the same sex as it is for homosexuals to have thoughts about heterosexuals. Thus, your â€Å"score† may not be a perfect 6 or 0. This scale say â€Å"How are gay are you?†. Zero being Exclusively heterosexual, one is predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual. Two predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual. Three equally heterosexual and homosexual, four predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual. Five redominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual and six exclusively homosexual. This scale is more accurate to measure a individuals sexuality in today’s society. Society has changed over the years and we have to adapt to the changes. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsey_scale These sexual choices go much deeper into affecting what we want out of life and how we go about getting what we want. Having children or adopting is a major controversial aspect for gay, bi, transexual, and asexual individuals. Marriage for anyone but the man and woman can be a challenge to accomplish. Governments and laws in many states forbid or do not see any marriage but the man and woman. Religion which from the beginning of time has said that the only â€Å"right† relationship is the man and woman, although we are suppose to except others. It’s hard to understand what we are suppose to except or denie as a society. Although I do believe everyone should have their own choice to have control of their own lives and happiness. We as a society should not dictate what relationship is right or wrong. But I do see this topic as a pressing issue for all of us, especially with all the radical changes over the years. Only time will tell what the future will hold, although as more and more people come out it looks like the future society will be much more open then in the past years.