Area of Study Speech – Discovery
Willingness to discover combined with self-reflection present new perspectives and renewed awareness about both ourselves and the wider world. Through the use of literacy techniques in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and Marchetta’s novel Looking for Alibrandi it is apparent that altering ones state of mind and being open to love can lead to these changed perceptions. “The greatest discovery is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind” this idea presented by James Adams is apparent in both texts. In the Tempest the idea of accepting others and letting go of inner resentment is displayed through Prospero’s ability to forgive. On first introduction of Prospero he is fuelled by vengeance
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Josie had experienced prolonged feelings of resentment and frustration to her peer Ivy being envious of Ivy’s treatment due to her privileged social and economic status. This antagonism is displayed through personification in the quote “My blood boiled at the mention of Ivy’s name”. Foreshadowing was used to suggest John’s absence when he made an emotional plea to both girls to look after one another. Josie and Ivy were mutual friends of John and after his death both characters discovered a new found respect and compassion towards one another. They realised they had more in common than previously established and decided to focus on the happiness of one another. Josie’s new perception of Ivy is shown through the quote “she was no longer poison Ivy. Just Ivy” symbolic of how she now views her in a positive …show more content…
This idea is shown in Miranda and Josie’s varied experiences of love. In The Tempest Miranda makes a sudden, unexpected discovery of passionate love. Miranda is described as an innocent virgin who has not been exposed to romance due to it being inaccessible to her because of her setting. However, upon sighting Ferdinand is falls into a trance. Miranda sees no flaws in Ferdinand stating in affection “There's nothing ill can dwell in such a temple: If the ill spirit have so fair a house, Good things will strive to dwell with't” ;comparing Ferdinand’s body to something godly. Ferdinand is a tender character who is devoted to Miranda presenting contrast to the malicious Caliban who endeavoured to rape Miranda. Through exposure to the discovery of love Miranda is therefore able to undergo the realisation that there is kindness and love to be found in the world along with hope for the future a renewed perception when compared to her past inexperience with
In 'The Help', Skeeter's relationship with her mother throughout the beginning of the book is secretive and silent, the two leading separate lives, with the occasional bickering and motherly concern of her appearance and reputation within society. As the novel progresses, Skeeter forces her mother to reveal the story of how her beloved maid was fired, a story Skeeter was ignorant and sheltered of until this point. The disgust she has of her mother after she shares the awful details is evident in Skeeter's recount, 'I let my head sink into my hands. There is no redeeming piece of the story. A child should never know this about her own mother.' The contrast between 'child/mother' accentuates her loss of innocence as a consequence of her discovery, the metaphorical 'sink into my hands', displaying the strong grief and sadness that she is experiencing as a result of her discovery and the destruction of her naivety. However to challenge the perception of discovery and experience of losing one's innocence, Miranda's first meeting with Ferdinand conveys how Shakespeare has contradicted Stockett by portraying a positive loss of innocence and naivety as a result of their romantic discovery. Miranda confesses, 'A thing divine, for nothing natural I ever saw so noble' while Ferdinand sees Miranda and announces, 'O you wonder!', both conveying that they have lost their romantic innocence and
kindness and innocence portray heart" (line 8/9) and this contrasts. to her father who is not as concerned as she is "Tell your piteous heart there's no harm done" (line 14). Prospero's power and control over Miranda is something that really stands out, "obey and be attentive" (line 38) and it is clear that she. respects him, "my dearest father" (line 1.) At first one may presume that Prospero is an evil man for causing the tempest, but I feel that He loves Miranda very much and would do anything to protect her.
Through the play, The Tempest, Shakespeare showcases Prospero’s intellectual discovery of his limitations as a mortal and the consequential rediscovery of his human morals. Prospero showcases his initial hatred towards the royal crew, rooted from past betrayals, as he says “They now are in my power. And in these fits, I leave them”. The truncated sentence emphasises Prospero’s cruel and revengeful mindset, depicting his firm belief in “power” being the tool for vengeance. However, a dramatic change in Prospero’s attitude can be seen, as he makes an unexpected discovery of human mortality following Ariel’s monologue. He says,“We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep,”, the “sleep” symbolising death, and the metaphor of “dream” highlighting Prospero’s intellectual discovery of life’s fragility, where one’s memories and earthly possessions are temporary. Through the alliterative “such sleep” and “little life”, Prospero emphasises the insignificance of human life, and with it, the insignificance of his art. As he discovers the futility of his power in the face of mortality, Prospero rediscovers his humanity and gains a renewed understanding of the futility of vengeance. He says, “My charms I’ll break….They shall be themselves”, juxtaposing to his initial cruelty and will to revenge and hence portraying the change in his perception. Therefore, the renewal of
Soon after Miranda looks up, she saw the dramatic scene of the shipwreck immediately begins the tense scene that gives off the feeling of despair. Immediately you will see Miranda running across along the beach worrying about the people that were on board on the ship, Miranda begins to look for her mother in order to find out if the people on board of the ship were safe. There is a change of the male Prospero character, in the film version the main character is a female Prospera. Taymor focus on Prospera casting a spell in the middle of the cliff to torment the people in the ship, with no harm done towards the people on board. By giving direction from the camera by zooming in and out of Prospera demonstrating how the choices were to focus on strengths of her character. The choices that were show how Prospera is an independent and strong personality throughout the film. Then we zoom back to Miranda that finally reaches her mother Prospera with concerns and her innocents look on her face. We immediately felt this impression that Miranda has an innocent of a child and Prospera as a sincere but immediately took control of this situation. (Movie: 4:24) The Tempest in Act 1 scene one/two begins the play of the shipwreck, the play heavily focus on the shipwreck at the beginning showing the great deal of the damage the ship
To be able to answer this question we must first understand why Prospero can be seen as good or evil. It is fair to say that Prospero is a main protagonist to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest. It is due to Prospero's role as a key figure in the play that has put him under so much scrutiny. Many different Shakespearean critics have their own view of Prospero and those that read or see the play also have their own opinion of the way in which Prospero may be seen.
Throughout the play The Tempest there is a relationship that pits master and slave in a harmony that benefits both parties. Though it may sound strange, these slaves sometimes have a goal or expectation that they hope to have fulfilled. Although rarely realized by its by its participants, the Master--Slave, Slave--Master relationship is a balance of expectation and fear by the slaves to the master; and a perceived since of power by that of the master over the slaves.
Here, the imaginative sympathy for the sufferings of others leads to an active intervention based upon "virtue" rather than "vengeance." This is a key recognition in the play: virtue expressed in forgiveness is a higher human attribute than vengeance. And in the conclusion of the play, Prospero does not even mention the list of crimes against him. He simply offers to forgive and accept what has happened to him, in a spirit of reconciliation. Unlike other Shakespeare plays, the ending of The Tempest requires neither the death nor the punishment of any of the parties.
Prospero’s Abuse of Power in The Tempest. In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda on a deserted island. On the surface, he appears to be a benevolent leader doing his best to protect and care for the inhabitants of the island, especially for Miranda. On closer inspection, however, Prospero plays God, controlling and creating each individual to fit the mold he desires.
Secondly, Miranda also serves as the ultimate fantasy for any male who (like Ferdinand) is a bachelor. She is extremely beautiful, she is intelligent, and she has never been touched (or even seen) by another male. Shakespeare makes Miranda even more desirable by including the fact that she has never seen or even talked to another man (with the obvoius exception of Prospero). Miranda personifies the ultimate source of good in the play, and provides the ultimate foil for the evil character of Caliban. When Ferdinand is forced to chop wood by Prospero, Miranda offers to do it for him. Finding a woman this humble in the world of Shakespeare is almost impossible. One does not have to look farther than her last line in the play to realize her purpose in the plot. Miranda states "O wonder! / How many goodly creatures there are here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world / That has such people in't" (Tempest,5.1,185-7) Through this passage and many of her others Miranda shows a positive attitude which is almost uncanny when compared to the other characters.
The nucleus of the plot in Shakespeare's The Tempest revolves around Prospero enacting his revenge on various characters who have wronged him in different ways. Interestingly enough, he uses the spirit of Ariel to deliver the punishments while Prospero delegates the action. Prospero is such a character that can concoct methods of revenge but hesitates to have direct involvement with disillusioning his foes. In essence, Prospero sends Ariel to do his dirty work while hiding his involvement in shipwrecking his brother, Antonio, from his daughter, Miranda.
The illusions of justice and freedom, and what they truly are, has been a reoccurring theme throughout the works. The definitions of justice and freedom have become so construed throughout the times. In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero tries to enthrall his audience in his narrative of social justice. The idea of justice the play portrays represents one individual who controls the fate of all others. Their freedom is controlled by the interference of those around them. Although he spends most of the play righting the wrongs done to him, he is misdirecting so to hide his true motive. Prospero misconstrues the definitions of justice and freedom by enslaving Ariel and Caliban, using magic for his own good, and creating a false happy
In The Tempest, there are kind and forgiving characters such as Ariel Miranda, and Ferdinand. However, there are also brutal characters such as Caliban, Antonio, Sebastian, and -to some extent- Prospero. Miranda is a particularly forgiven character, something that is noticeable when she sees the sinking ship and says "O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel, who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,dash 'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock against my very heart. Poor souls,they perish 'd. Had I been any god of power, I would have sunk the sea within the earth or ere it should the good ship so have swallow 'd and the fraughting souls within her."(1.2.5-13) Very similar to her is Ferdinand, who forgives Prospero for enslaving him simply out love for Miranda. There is also Ariel, whose kind and loyal nature is shown in its love and forgiveness towards Prospero, the man enslaving it. This is good forgiveness in some characters is often countered in many positions such as Antonio 's power seeking betrayal, and his arrogance and inability to acknowledge Prospero and his generosity in forgiving him. This is shown where Prospero says to Antonio in Act 5, Scene 1 “For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother would even infect my mouth, I do forgive thy rankest fault; all of them; and require my dukedom of thee, which perforce, I know, thou must
Prospero presents himself as a victim of injustice, however his belief of justice and injustice is somewhat contradicting. He takes advantage of this authority over other people and situations he encounters while using his integrity and compassion to mask his dangerous plans and to retain love and respect. The Tempest in the end suggests that love and compassion are more effective political tools than violence, hatred or even abusive magic.
There are genuinely good people just like this character. Miranda is one of the characters in this book, who is gentle, empathetic, and kind. She feels sorry for the seafarers saying “O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer (Mowat and Werstine, 13). She sees how the people on the boat are struggling to stay alive on the boat in spite of the storm that her father Prospero cast upon them and she really feels for them.
The Tempest has many themes including reconciliation and forgiveness However, while it is clear that the theme of forgiveness is the main theme of the play, what is up for debate is to what extent the author realizes this forgiveness. After reading the attitudes and actions of the major characters in the play, specifically Prospero, little, if any, true forgiveness and reconciliation is shown in The Tempest.