Jane Campion's The Piano - A Metaphor for European Domination
The exact nature of the encounters between Captain James Cook and the Polynesian natives of Hawaii as well as all interactions and exchanges between Europeans and native Polynesian peoples of the Pacific while Cook was exploring the islands of Hawaii and after has been investigated by anthropologists and historians for many years. Captain Cook died at the hand of Polynesian natives while he was at Hawaii in 1779. Marshall Sahlins stated that Cook was seen as the god Lono during the celebration of the Makahiki festival taking place at the time of Cook’s visit. Gananath Obeyesekere, in his noted work, The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific, argues that Sahlins is incorrect in his conclusions about Cook and his myth models, which are defined as indigenous people not using rationality in the same way as Europeans. They underestimate the flexibility and pragmatism of indigenous cultures and cosmology. Obeyesekere argues that the Prospero myth and the Kurtz myth are evident in the works of Sahlins and other historians as well. The Prospero myth that is of the European explorer who brings forth peace and a "civilized" culture to the native peoples of the lands he or she explores. The name "Prospero" is taken from a character in Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. The Kurtz myth is that of the explorer, who witnesses the raw nature and "uncivilized" culture and ideology of the native peoples and becomes himself "savage". The name "Kurtz" originated from Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness and is adopted in Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece Apocalypse Now. Obeyesekere’s ideas are prevalent in The Piano, a feature film involving a lov...
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...rts Obeyesekere’s arguments by having the savage element awakened, then subdued with force in the supposedly civilized Europeans, as opposed to Sahlin’s denial of European savagery in the explorations of Cook and the denial that Cook was a savage and bloodthirsty male seeking to kill, using "civilization" as an excuse for killing. This idea is seen in the domination of Ada by both Stewart and Baines, and the males’ violence and sexual aggression toward the innocent and mute Ada. The inability to speak on Ada’s part is a metaphor for her domination by the males, a trait of european culture in the ninteenth century. The piano is the means by which she is able to communicate, embodying both the Kurtz persona in the raw, beautiful sound that flows from the piano, and the Prospero persona in the intricate and ordered melody and harmony with that a skilled pianist plays.
Lupack, Barbara Tepa. Take Two: Adapting the Contemporary American Novel to Film. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular, 1994. Print.
Authors, Coppola and Conrad, bring to the attention of their readers and viewers that imperialism brought out the savage and rebellious acts of one of their main characters. They developed the idea that the character Kurtz was not the great man he claimed to be in the upcoming of his accomplishments. His wealth and power over the natives led him into a hole of misery. Readers and the audience can interpret that he needed to escape, even though he was not mentally ready, and the only way out was death. The creation of this idea is seen in the plot of Heart of Darkness and the intense scenes of Apocalypse Now.
Kurtz’s “superb … magnificent” mistress who “[has] the value of several elephant tusks upon her” (Conrad 137) also exemplifies power. The Russian reveals the extent of her influence on Kurtz as he recalls how she once “talked like a fury”, but Kurtz “felt too ill that day to care, or there would have been mischief” (138). The Russian also feels threatened by Kurtz’s mistress, as he “has been risking [his] life everyday … to keep her out of the house” (138). The sexist and racist attitudes of that era, in addition to the idolized Kurtz’s savage behaviour towards the Africans, amplify the anomaly of an African woman instilling fear into colonial white men. Conrad establishes the influence that women can have, as it clearly contrasts Hardy’s insinuation of the powerless nature of females when compared to men.
Amidst extreme attempts from Nurse Ratched and Randall Patrick McMurphy to gain and maintain total control of the ward, Ken Kesey implements specific vivid imagery, as well as intentional instances of exaggerated word choice, to make these attempts clear to readers during part two of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The men on the ward have felt for some time that Nurse Ratched is oppressing their rights as humans, and now with McMurphy on the ward, “the guys started letting fly at everything that had ever happened on the ward they didn’t like” (145). These complaints are mostly exaggerated, as one suggests that Ratched wants “seven buddies” to go with a patient when he “goes into the latrine to relieve [himself]” (145). This request, although
Breaking away from society’s “so-called” customs/norms incorporates a large array of valor, inspiration, and most importantly, individuality. Society places normalities upon its people in order to maintain stability and often times, tradition. More specifically, gender roles, such as women raising children; men being the only source of profit, must also be broken in order to establish uniqueness and distinction in a conventional- themed culture, such as Victorian society. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is perhaps the only novel that fully illustrates the struggle that is leaving Victorian ideals and tradition from a woman’s perspective. Although often considered a feminist text, The Awakening can be viewed as a novel that depicts and promotes individuality using symbolism. Instead of plastering readers with dull literalism, Chopin uses symbols, such birds and music, to relay subtle ideas. Within each fictive part, Chopin provides symbolism that readers must comprehend in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.
Thomson, Judith Jarvis. "A Defense of Abortion." The Ethical Life: Fundamental Readings in Ethics and Moral Problems. Ed. Russ Shafer Landau. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 351-363. Print.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, written by Ken Kesey is a confronting novel that captures the essence of power and manipulation and the battle to maintain it. Set in a psychiatric ward in 1960s America, Kesey explores Nurse Ratched’s oppressive rule over the ward and her continual manipulation and exploitation of the weak and fragile patients. The arrival of R. P. McMurphy and his rebellious and defiant ways leads to a series of battles between the two characters as they struggle to maintain a position of power and status within the ward. Kesey presents the ideas of vulnerability and strength using a variety of literary devices and explains these ideas through how characters’ behaviours are influenced by the power of knowledge. Through his characters, Kesey explores the consequences of manipulation and exploitation, the injustice and lack of care that the patients are subject to, the results of rebellion and the consequential growth in confidence of the patients, and the boundaries between sanity and insanity, with devastating effect, echoing the conflicts of his time.
for General Electric and did some stories on the side, earning him lots of money. He then left General Electric and moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts to become a writer full time in 1951.
Piano for Pleasure is a text book for the adult beginners without musical background. Each chapter has seven sections, including listening, rhythm, technique, theory, reading, improvising, and performance. The MIDI files for the text and sound files in Mp3 format will be available on the Web site to download. You will also find much of materials and additional examples in PDF format which may be printed for easier study. The teacher could choose this book for the beginners who must have a very high comprehension.
The 19th and 20th centuries were a time period of change. The world saw many changes from gender roles to racial treatment. Many books written during these time periods reflect these changes. Some caused mass outrage while others helped to bring about change. In the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, gender roles can be seen throughout the novel. Some of the characters follow society’s “rules” on what a gender is suppose to do while others challenge it. Feminist Lens can be used to help infer and interpret the gender roles that the characters follow or rebel against. Madame Ratignolle and Leonce Pontellier follow eaches respective gender, while Alcee Arobin follows and rebels the male gender expectations during the time period.
Throughout history society has been controlled by men, and because of this women were exposed to some very demanding expectations. A woman was expected to be a wife, a mother, a cook, a maid, and sexually obedient to men. As a form of patriarchal silencing any woman who deviated from these expectations was often a victim of physical, emotional, and social beatings. Creativity and individuality were dirty, sinful and very inappropriate for a respectful woman. By taking away women’s voices, men were able to remove any power that they might have had. In both Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, we see that there are two types of women who arise from the demands of these expectations. The first is the obedient women, the one who has buckled and succumbed to become an empty emotionless shell. In men’s eyes this type of woman was a sort of “angel” perfect in that she did and acted exactly as what was expected of her. The second type of woman is the “rebel”, the woman who is willing to fight in order to keep her creativity and passion. Patriarchal silencing inspires a bond between those women who are forced into submission and/or those who are too submissive to maintain their individuality, and those women who are able and willing to fight for the ability to be unique.
Language development sees primary school aged children gradually widen their vocabulary, and begin to understand more complex sentences and complicated languages. They advance from knowing how to read and understand more then one to two sentences
The current dominant constitutional principle is parliamentary sovereignty, which means parliament may enact any laws, there are no legal limitations on their law making role. Thus, the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty is incompatible with an entrenched codified constitution, as a codified constitution would be the highest law. In addition, codified constitutions tend to come about after there has been a serious fracture in the political system of the country concerned; it is seen as a ‘fresh start’. Britain has not since the seventeenth century English civil war experienced a severe rupture to the political system; therefore there has never been a ‘constitutional moment’ of which the fundamental rules needed clarification and writing down into one document.
In 2000 the report of the Royal Commission on reform of the House of Lords described the UK Constitution as “extraordinarily flexible with the capacity to evolve in the light of changes in circumstances and society”.1
A constitution is a set of laws defining the allocation, limitation, regulation of governmental power. This power, in most liberal democracies, is separated among the three branches of the state – the legislative, the judiciary and the executive. The importance of a constitution could not be overemphasized in every country, typically in liberal democracies. Its key functions include establishing the central structure of the state’s government, granting and controlling the governmental power, and determining the way of which the government of the nation interact with its people. The existence of the constitution of the United Kingdom, however, is highly controversial due to its peculiar nature. This essay, applying a positivist approach, regard