Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros": True Means Resides in Action not Words
I awoke sweating. Breathing heavily, I glanced over at my clock and read the time. 4:00 AM. I wasn't sure if this was reality or not so I ran my palm over my scalp. No bump. A sigh of relief came over me. "Phew," I said,
"it was only a dream."
This is a dream I have had often throughout the past couple of years.
Each time, the bump in my dream gets bigger and bigger and each time I wake up
I'm more and more frightened that the dream was real. "I will not be a rhinoceros," I tell myself over and over. "I will not."
These words I tell myself are nearly meaningless though. They are words and nothing more. Futile attempts to ease the pain of my "rhinocerotic" life.
The only way to really not become a rhinoceros is by making the existential decision not to do so.
A main theme in Eugene Ionesco's, Rhinoceros, is that true meaning resides in action rather than in mere words. A resistance to taking action then results in one's becoming a rhinoceros. Jean illustrates this in the beginning of Act 2, scene 2, when we see Jean and Berenger bickering. Berenger feels that
Jean isn't looking or feeling well and threatens to get him a doctor. Jean resists by saying, "You're not going to get the doctor because I don't want the doctor. I can look after myself." (pp. 62) This refusal comes from his arrogant view of himself as a "Master of [his] own thoughts," (pp. 61) and
"[Having] will-power!" (pp. 7) By seeing the doctor, Jean would have put himself in the position of taking responsibility for his actions and seeing that he wasn't always the "master of his own thoughts" and that his will-power was actually quite weak. It would be admitting the meaninglessness in his futile attempts to remain a human. He didn't want to see that he, in fact, was becoming a rhinoceros.
Had Jean agreed to see a doctor, he may have been saved. By seeing the doctor, Jean would have come to terms with his becoming a rhinoceros. After coming to terms with his current state, he could then change his subsequent state to one of taking action to be an individual.
Berenger, however, illustrates the power in making an existential decision. The trumpeting call of the rhinoceros was a persuasive one, but
Berenger was able to resist it through his commitment and determination. In the beginning of Act 3, Berenger and Dudard are speaking after Berenger was awakened
Odes has filed a discrimination suit against Native Intimates after it terminated her for a potential employee dress policy dispute. Twenty-nine year old, Lauren Odes claims Native Intimates fired her for being “too hot.” Odes also claims that Native Intimates fired her because her breasts were too large. Odes says that her managers asked her to “tape her breasts down.” The managers had previously complained about her physical appearance and attire at work. One day, they said that she either needed to put on a red robe, or go buy another outfit. While she was out purchasing the other outfit, the managers terminated her. Odes claims she suffered discriminatory termination and is suing for gender and religious discrimination. The rules
Through time it can be seen that the world’s history has a nature of repeating its self. Author Miller, was aware of this as he experienced a repitition of history of society’s flawed government. In the text The Crucible, the writer, Author Miller has identified and illustrated the problems society faced during the 1950’s setting by drawing parallels with the setting of the 1962 Salem witch hunt. This setting helps readers to understand the characters of John Proctor and Giles Corey.
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
The roaring twenties was a time for happiness and celebration, but the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows a different side of this dynamic decade. Fitzgerald uses a poignant, yet hopeful tone to show the shadier side of the nineteen twenties most refuse to look at, while tying in the brighter side. In The Great Gatsby, the reader is sucked into a story of corruption, and empowerment by the rich hidden by extravagant parties and bright colors. Jay Gatsby, who only dreamt of wealth and love had an ideal dream life, that ideal life could be defined as his “American Dream”. His dreams were later crushed by very powerful people, careless people, people who used and abused others to get their way, no matter the consequences. Those people were Tom and Daisy Buchanan, they were the empowered rich. They crushed Gatsby’s American Dream, by being careless. Gatsby created this extravagant life for one reason, and one reason only; to impress the girl he fell in love with, years ago. The girl he gave his heart to hold forever, but after Gatsby left for war, she married someone else, someone who was from old money, like her. She married Tom Buchanan. Although Daisy was married, Gatsby held onto the hope that they would find a way to be together again, and forever. Close to the end, the reader wonders if matters will work out in Gatsby’s favor or not, but after the tragic accident that bring three dreams to an end, the reader ignores Gatsby’s hopefulness and just hopes for a happier ending, when in reality, nothing ends the way anyone wishes it to.
The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dream and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive for acquiring the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the authors view on the American dream. Through this, one can hope to disassemble the complex picture that is Fitzgerald’s view of this through the novel. Fitzgerald believes, through his experiences during the 1920’s, that only fractions of the American Dream are attainable, and he demonstrates this through three distinct images in The Great Gastby.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller as well as Gattaca by Andrew Niccol use the protagonist of their texts to show disapproval of the societies that they have created. While both authors vary the presentation of their societies, they both explore the damaging qualities of the societies through their central protagonist. Gattaca, set in the not too distant future explores the effects of compulsory genetic modification on society while, contrastingly, conformity and the rules of the church are explored throughout The Crucible.
...llowed to flow. He also manipulates Miss Julie's emotions by appealing to the romantic child in her. It is Miss Julie's fall from her high social status and her consequent fall to a childish ego state that makes Jean adapt his ego. She starts out thinking she is better than Jean because he is her servant. As they get closer she feels he is her equal so she talks to him as an adult from an adult standpoint. By the end when she has fallen from grace she feels so low that she is talking up to Jean and wants him to tell her what to do. All the while Jean is on the opposite side of the wheel that Miss Julie is on.
Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, and the movie with the same name have many differences and similarities, all of which contribute to the individual effectiveness of each in conveying their central message.
By comparing how hope decays for the character of Gatsby, yet is renewed for EBB, their contexts are highly accentuated. For most individuals during the Roaring 20’s, the ‘American dream’ was the catalyst for hope, and that through fast paced living and illegal activities, they could reach this goal faster. This idea is epitomized in the character of Gatsby; the ‘colossal vitality’ of his dream was centered on his obsession with Daisy. Fitzgerald expertly symbolizes this decay of hope through the motif of the green light. Once described as America rising out of the water to prosper, it is ironically associated with Daisy who represents its downfall and therefore a loss of hope. Context is significantly highlighted as the materialistic nature of Gatsby causes Daisy to ‘tumble short of his dreams’, this metaphor strongly represents how due to the superficial nature of the 20’s, nothing can “challenge what a man can store up in his ghostly heart.”. In addition, the conclusion of the prose contains the unexpected death of Gatsby; this is an effective communication by Fitzgerald to portray how the superficiality and materialistic nature of most individuals leads to the death of hope. In contrast, EBB’s Sonnets are witness to a progressive renewal of hope. The Victorian era was transitioning into new superficial ideals and therefore there were
...s and actions had on societies across the world remains undeniably recognizable today. Perhaps the power of her life's work flows from the fact that she lived what she believed and proclaimed. As writer Alice Schwarzer wrote, "In the darkness of the Fifties and Sixties, before new women's movement dawned, The Second Sex was like a secret code that we emerging women used to send messages to each other. And Simone de Beauvoir herself, her life and her work, was and is a symbol" (Okely 29).
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Literature, Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Ed. Ellen Bowler, et al. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1999.
One third of one’s life is spent sleeping. In the average lifetime, one would spend a total of around 6 years just dreaming! Everybody dreams even though one may not remember it. Although most common in children; nightmares affect adults as well. Probably the most common of sleep disorders, nightmares are something that almost everyone has experienced. Nightmares are vivid dreams that cause terror, anxiety and fear. Nightmares occur in the fourth stage of sleep, which is deep sleep. Nightmares are caused by rapid eye movement (REM). REM causes irregular EEG patterns that are like the patterns in stage one which is light sleep. Most people experience REM sleep three to five times a night. Nightmares can also be caused by stress, illness, a loss of a family member or a scary movie. After having a nightmare, it can be extremely difficult to fall back asleep. There are other feelings associated with dreams besides fear, feelings such as guilt, sadness, and confusion also occurs in nightmares. Most people who have nightmares do not remember what they have dreamed. There is no exact treatment for nightmares, but before bed time one should try to avoid late night sna...
believed he could not be stopped and that rules did not apply to him. By being
Many people dream, but most do not know what they mean and why. One dictionary definition says dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. But there is more to dreams than one phrase. Some studies have shown that
What are dreams? Are they simply random brain activity, or are they our mind trying to tell us something? Dreams represent many different areas of one’s life in physical, emotional, and mental ways. “When we sleep we do much more than just rest our weary bones; we tap into our subconscious mind (Ullman and Zimmerman 1979). The subconscious has much to offer about oneself. “The average human being spends one third of their life in sleep and during each sleep approximately two hours is spent dreaming“(Ullman and Zimmerman 1979). These dreams are important because they are the voice of our subconscious. Dreams can relay to people facts about their lives that they are not even aware of. There are also many ways that dreams can help cure different physical, emotional, and mental problems in one’s life. I will look at dreams, their meanings, and possible ways of interpreting them using such methods as hypnotherapy and psychoanalysis.