Lily Mastrangelo Mrs. Galambos CP English 12 29 February 2024 Morality Tony Kushner’s drama Angels in America dives into the complex struggles of personal conflict along with social issues, religious tension, and the challenge of hope and despair. Kushner uses the lens of intricate characters to highlight the fragility facing human morality amidst a taboo society where Reagan and the right side were thriving and the AIDS epidemic was in full force; it compels the reader to think about fundamental questions regarding good vs evil, religious rightness, and expectations vs reality. Angels in America brings to light the question of one's morality while facing common vulnerabilities of personal and social issues, religion, and hope and despair. Tony Kushner …show more content…
Joe's crisis underlines the tension between religious beliefs and individual beliefs, as well as the detrimental effects of societal expectations on personal morality. Hope and despair are recurring themes that intertwine with the characters' moral struggles. Throughout the play, characters wrestle with the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic, societal prejudice, and personal hardships, all while seeking to maintain a sense of hope amidst despair. One character who exemplifies this is Prior Walter, who faces the reality of his illness with both bravery and vulnerability. Despite his physical decline, Prior holds on to a sense of hope for the future, declaring, "I want more life. I can't help myself, but I can. I do" (Kushner). This moving assertion encases Prior's resilience in the face of despair, as he refuses to succumb to hopelessness and instead strives for a future filled with possibility. Alongside moments of hope, the play also confronts the harsh realities of despair, particularly in the character of Roy
Mission Santa Barbara was founded on December 4, 1786 by Father Fermin de Lasuen. Mission Santa Barbara was the 10th mission founded. Mission Santa Barbara was built near Siujtu,a Chumash village. Water was channeled from adam constructed in Pedragoso Creek, high above the mission. A two-mile long stone aqueduct carried water to a storage reservoir and settling tank constructed in 1806, and attributed to Indian mason Miguel Blanco of Baja, California. A second aqueduct carried drinking water to the mission,its fountains and lavanderia washing facilities. The original buildings were adobe,unpretentious, and a clay common to dry areas. The original purpose of the mission was christianazation of the Chumash Indians. Mission Santa Barbara is one of two missions who still run under Franciscan order.
During the early 1500s- mid 1800s, missions were the original destination by which the Spanish taught both Spanish and Catholicism lifestyle to the Native Americans/Indians. There are 21 missions scattered all over California. Mission San Jose is the fourteenth mission created in Alta California. It is a Spanish mission located in Fremont, California and established in the late 1700s by Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen. The mission is the label of the Mission San Jose district of Fremont, which was a free town admitted into the city when it was assimilated in 1957. The purpose of creating this mission was to secure Spain’s claim to this land and teach the native people Christianity and the Spanish way of life. Today, Mission San Jose serves
Tony Kushner, in his play Angels in America, explores a multitude of issues pertaining to modern American society including, but not limited to, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Through his diverse character selection, he is able to compare and contrast the many varied experiences that Americans might face today. Through it all, the characters’ lives are all linked together through a common thread: progress, both personal and public. Kushner offers insight on this topic by allowing his characters to discuss what it means to make progress and allowing them to change in their own ways. Careful observation of certain patterns reveals that, in the scope of the play, progress is cyclical in that it follows a sequential process of rootlessness, desire, and sacrifice, which repeats itself.
I will be analyzing the essay “Class in America --2012”. The topic of this essay is talking about does it matter what your social and economical standings are, and do they play a role in if you succeed in life. I personally agree with this. If someone is hard working and willing to do the job then I feel that they can be successful. Their background, race, and social and economical standings don’t justify everything that they are. Mantsios effectively communicates the phenomenon of stereotyping certain races, genders, and social classes will be more successful than others in America.
As I walked up the street toward the front of Grace Cathedral, I was in awe at the size and ornateness of this cathedral. It was tall and wide and looked very much like the churches we had been studying in class in the prior weeks. As I got closer and closer I began to make out The Ghiberti Doors, also known as the gates of paradise. These are the main cathedral doors made out of bronze, and are replicas of the originals which stood centuries ago at the east entrance to the Baptistry of Florence Cathedral (the Duomo) Italy. I approached and spent about fifteen minutes, just examining all the different engraved scenes within the ten sections in the two doors. After I had finished looking at the Ghiberti Doors, I entered through one of the side doors, since you are not able to use the Ghiberti Doors, because they weight too much. Before I stepped inside the cathedral, I pulled out my text analysis and read over it, so that when I entered I could examine whether or not this cathedral exuded the same sacredness as the cathedral in the text analysis. I feel this Cathedral really does exude not entirely the purity of heaven, but does seem to somewhat separate you from the outer world, as Abbot Suger spoke of. Also, it brings in some of the surrounding beauty from St. Denis, such as the sapphire and stained glass, as well as the gold plating.
What does Kushner propose about religious/personal standards, and are those standards valuable or do they cause difficulties? Many people today have a set of religious or personal standards that has aided them in obtaining their goals. However, there are many others who do their best to live up to those standards of perfection but end up living miserable lives. This essay will discuss the possible standards of Joe and Roy implied in the play, “Angels in America” by Tony Kushner, while discussing how they can be both valuable and questionable.
There exists a lot of controversy over the term “American Exceptionalism.” Not only was this debate prevalent many years ago, it also exists today. There are many aspects of American culture that can make it seem like the most superior country in the world, but also there exists many that make it seem otherwise. The term American Exceptionalism is a term that is used to strengthen a country. In times of peril and chaos, the most important action a country can do is to come together as one. Exceptionalism is not only a term for leaders to live by, but also is a term that equates to a sense of pride for the entire country.
As far as all the movies we have watched, The Raising of America, has been the one with the most shocking and interesting facts. Not only did the movie show what is happening to kids right now, but also the effect of how they got there.
Around the world, being American means many different things ranging from ignorant to arrogant. However, in America we have our own ideas of what it means to be American. There are three values that make any person American: freedom, opportunity, and equality.
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
American exceptionalism is a term suggesting that America was the best or superior; it was a term saying that it was different than any other place. Winthrop talks about the city upon the hill, which suggests America being a model or setting an example for other countries. We were supposed to be a beacon of liberty and freedom. During the founding of America, America was different than any other place. At its founding America was exceptional because it was different in the way people interacted with each other, different in the way the government worked, and different in its aspirations. The ideology of America has changed making it where America is no longer exceptional.
American exceptionalism is a belief that the United States is different from other nations around the world and as such superior; the term was coined by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831, yet the philosophy of American superiority can be traced all the way back to the days before the United States was even an idea. They saw their new culture as “A city upon a hill” and sought to achieve moral and spiritual perfection. With this moral superiority the colonists, later Americans, saw a duty presented upon them by God and nature to instill such superior values into other cultures and the world. One such example can be clearly seen in the work of St. John de Crèvecoeur in Letters from an American Farmer where the narrator “Farmer James” states his belief
Canada’s many national parks have been a symbol of our country for many years, providing tourism and profits but also a vast land of mountains, forests, and prairies to explore. Though this, without a doubt, will not be the truth in the future for Banff. Banff National Park, the first official park of Canada and according to conservationists and studies, is in danger of losing its ecological integrity and reputation as a national park. Conservation of Canadian park’s fauna and flora should be prioritized over any means of development because the parks own ecological integrity is at risk, the developments are unnecessary, and it will affect wildlife and those who come into contact with it in many negative ways. Many new developments are being
What is Christianity and why has it been able to develop into a continuously growing and evolving religion?
Culture can simply be defined as ‘way of life’ of a group of people. It is about the way groups do things. There can be several ways of thinking about and studying culture. Gail McDonald studied the culture of America through four concepts that include “big, rich, new and free”. (McDonald)For this essay, I would like to define and analyze the American culture in terms of ‘freedom’. I selected this dimension because it has been one of the most distinct dimensions of American culture and it has contributed a lot in making what America is today. It will be interesting to analyze how this cultural dimension has contributed shaping the culture of the United States through the course of time.