Analysis of The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West Essay -- The Day o

Analysis of The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West Nathanael West’s The Day of the Locust tells the story of people who have come to California in search of the American Dream. They travel west hoping to escape less than perfect lives and pursue success in Hollywood. The characters in this novel dream of a life of luxury, having lots of money, and living happily ever after. They eventually come to the realization that the seemingly picture perfect life that California represents is not as easy to attain as they once thought. The characters in The Day of the Locust grow discontented and disappointed with their lives and embittered towards the world, which instigates the downfall of this lower level of Hollywood society. Todd Hackett, Faye Greener, and Homer Simpson all depict failed attempts to achieve the American Dream. Todd Hackett is a main character who lives with the continuous threat of failure while he attempts to fulfill his personal dreams amongst the lower classes of Hollywood. Hackett comes to California hoping for a career designing movie scenery, but he faces many obstacles that he must overcome before he can move up in the Hollywood society. Todd’s life begins to go downhill as he associates more frequently with the lower levels of Hollywood society. This prevents him from climbing the ladder of fame which he so desperately aspires to accomplish. He is shown a darker side of Hollywood which plays with his emotions and distracts him from h...

How do culture and society relate to each other Essay

What is culture and what is society? Even though these two definitions are closely related to each other, culture and society is not the same thing. While cultures are complexes of learned behavior patterns and perceptions, societies are groups of people who directly or indirectly interact with each other. People in societies also generally perceive that their society is distinct from others in terms of shared traditions and expectations. In the same time these two definitions are inevitable connected because culture is created and transmitted to others in a society. Cultures are not the products of lone individuals. They are the continuously evolving products of people interacting with each other. Cultural patterns such as language and politics make no sense except in terms of the interaction of people. If you were the only human on earth, there would be no need for language or government. To summarize, a culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular society. 2. 5 Critically analyse the application of the terms ‘culture’ and ‘society’ to every day life. If I should analyse the terms ‘culture’ and ‘society’ to every day life, first of all I should state the fact I am foreigner living in different country and because of that inevitable I have a different perception about the things around me in comparison with the locals. Customs and social patterns which seems perfectly normal for the others at times can feel actually pretty strange and not at place for me. British society differs widely from the society I was living in back home; it consists of different rules and patterns of public behavior. That’s why it’s only natural for me to experience numerous cultural differences daily. For example in British society manners are very important and people place considerable value on punctuality. In England, people make great effort to arrive on time. If you agree to meet friends at exact time you can be sure they will be on time. It is often considered impolite to arrive even a few minutes late. If you are unable to keep an appointment, it is expected that you call the person you are meeting. In my country though nobody will pay attention if you are late a little for appointment. Especially when you are meeting with friends or even going to a party often a late arrival can considered to be very fashionable. Because of cultural differences sometimes it can occurred misunderstandings, in order to avoid that I need to be conscious of my actions in my every day life. 2. 6 Distinguish between personal perception and objective patterns. Personal perception is referred to the way how you see the world. It is related to the subjective, culture and cultural interpretation. Objective patterns are the patterns of behaviour, norms and rules which are imposed by the society and it is referred to the way how society see the world. Sometimes the personal perception can be in conflict with the objective patterns. One example of it is the Mormons. Mormons believe that men can marry as many women as they wish. From their point of view polygamy or plural marriage is acceptable and it is considerable for normal behavior. Ofcourse this is not how larger society sees it. Society rejects the idea strongly and considers polygamous relationships for illegal. Even though now polygamy is forbidden in all states of America, over a century ago it wasn’t prohibited in Utah until 1857 when the United States federal government forced Mormons to abandon the practice. According Wikipedia, the Mormons eventually complied and formally abolished the practice in 1890, in a document labeled ‘The Manifesto’. Bibliography: Damen, L. (1987). Culture Learning: The Fifth Dimension on the Language Classroom. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Linton, R. (1945). The Cultural Background of Personality. New York. http://anthro. palomar. edu/culture/culture_1. htm http://www. woodlands-junior. kent. sch. uk/customs/questions/social. htm http://www. carla. umn. edu/culture/definitions. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Mormonism_and_polygamy

How Shakespeares Macbeth Challenges the View of Typical...

Macbeth written by William Shakespeare brought the attention of the audience through the violence and the unexpected plot. Through the actions of the protagonist, he portrays many different ideas. One of the ideas he questions is manhood as it deals it in a unconventional way. Instead of portraying the protagonist actions that portray manhood, he has to struggle with the definition of manhood throughout the play. Additionally Shakespeare has shown different viewpoints of men and women in the play on the true definition of manhood. Through the different perceptions, the reader questions whether manhood is only related d to strength that could be displayed through courage or bravery. Shakespeare challenges the readers through his mixture of†¦show more content†¦This quote reveals that Lady Macbeth is an extremely ambitious and unscrupulous woman. However Macbeth contradicts to Lady Macbeth, as he is too kind by nature to complete what needs to be done even though he consists t he ambition. Macbeth’s goodness does not allow him to act heinously and murder Duncan in order to seize the throne. As Lady Macbeth shows her anxiety towards Macbeth she also states â€Å"â€Å"That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top- full of direst cruelty†(1.5. 48-50). The quote shows Lady Macbeth’s no hesitation in murdering King Duncan. Her feelings contradict to Macbeth. Macbeth shows anxiety and extreme fear as he begins to feel mix feelings. The quote shows that Lady Macbeth’s ambition is strong to overcome her husband. Even after Lady Macbeth Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth states â€Å" My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white†(2.2, 82-83) while Macbeth was crying that he hears voices and states that he heard voices- â€Å"Methought I heard a voice cry â€Å"Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep†(2.2. 47-48). It is clear during the murder of Duncan tha t the two characters- Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have changed the ideal role between genders. Lady Macbeth contradicts to the expectation of women during the 11th century as she controls over her husband. She leads her husband who should have power over her to murder the loyal king of Scotland as well asShow MoreRelatedWomens Role in Shakespearean Tragedy1742 Words   |  7 PagesIn Shakespeares tragedies and his plays in general, we can come across several types of female characters. Their influence with other characters and their purpose or role, often underestimated like women themselves, will be this essays main subject. Women in Shakespearean plays have always had important roles, sometimes even the leading role. Whether they create the main conflicts and base of the plays, or bring up interesting moral and cultural questions, they have always been put in challengingRead More The Role of Women in Shakespeares Tragedies Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesThe Role of Women in Shakespeares Tragedies In Shakespeare’s tragedies and his plays in general, we can come across several types of female characters. Their influence with other characters and their purpose or role, often underestimated like women themselves, will be this essay’s main subject. Women in Shakespearean plays have always had important roles, sometimes even the leading role. Whether they create the main conflicts and base of the plays, or bring up interesting moral and culturalRead MoreIn the Play ‘Macbeth’, Lady Macbeth Is Presented as the Female Who Dominates Her Husband. Discuss This Statement and How Typical Lady Macbeth Is of a Woman of Her Time.2458 Words   |  10 PagesIn the play ‘Macbeth’, Lady Macbeth is presented as the female who dominates her husband. Discuss this statement and how typical Lady Macbeth is of a woman of her time. The play ‘Macbeth’ was written between 1603 and 1607 by the famous playwright William Shakespeare and it is considered to be one of his most famous darkest tragedies. It is about a regicide and its aftermath which would have been a topical issue in the period in which it was written in as it relates to the Gunpowder Plot. Since theRead MoreThe Complicated Politics Of Gender Identity Essay3466 Words   |  14 PagesQueerness in Macbeth: The Complicated Politics of Gender Identity Saswata Kusari and Prof. Mahua Bhattacharjee Abstract: The thematic concern of appearance and reality is dealt with at various levels in Macbeth. This paper is an exploration of how the conventional ideas of gender and sexuality are subverted in this play. The paper would also seek to explore how the paradigmatic shift in the conventional gender identity creates a sense of queerness. Our attempt is to interrogate the play from an