I once heard a rabbi compare life to a game of poker. That certainly captivated my attention, because who would ever imagine a religious figure draw a connection between life and gambling? When we are born, G-d deals us a hand of cards, with each one determining aspects of our being, such as what kind of family we are born into, where we live, what our talents are, and what exactly we are meant to struggle with. We cannot trade our hand for anyone else’s, so we have to play the best game we can with what we are dealt. In a sense, one can say that Adam and Chava had a full deck of cards, as they were perfect beings. They epitomized every trait known to mankind on a balanced spectrum, and thus they are passed down to us. As the generations go by and more neshamos are brought down to Earth, we can’t have everyone with the same hand of cards, and so Hashem mixes things up, and we become dependent on each other to play a good game. In the modern deck of cards, we have suits, which feature the same numbers and face cards, but under different banners. While their values might be the same, they still retain different meanings because of the flag they fly. In much the same way, two people might share the same or similar characteristics, but the way in which they channel them will be individual to that person, and they so each stand as individuals among the masses.
There was much thought put into the naming of the suits of cards. Our modern deck or poker cards originated from the fortune-telling tarot cards, which eventually evolved to the French playing cards we use today. A major difference between the two different versions of the cards lies in the naming of those suits. One such example is that spades are referred to as “swords”, while...
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...her vote and chose a side: Vashti took up the suit of swords, swearing to lead the way to the realm of darkness, unyielding to the presence of GD and determined to squelch those who followed Him. Sarah instead chose the chalice of water, which is both a symbol of life and, according to Judaic thought, the Torah, and led with compassion and spiritual strength.
Of course, the symbols chosen to represent these two stately queens are meant to be symbols only. Tarot is a trick, slight of hand and the reading of people’s personalities and reactions. And yet, our fate is indeed within the cards, but not the rainbow-hued and stylized ones in Gypsy tents, but in the hand of cards handed to us by Hashem Himself the moment we begin our journey on the Earth. Regardless if we think that our hand is good or bad or unfair, what we are meant to do is lay them out the best we can.
Another prevalent symbol to me is the idea of sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper just suddenly one day shows up to church wearing a veil. At first the people are sort of angered by it. People soon start to flock to his congregation to view the spectacle, and go so far as to test their '"'courage'"' by seeing who will go and talk to him. I think that the veil could represent sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper was either trying to hide his sin from the people so that they could not judge him, which is god"'"s job, or maybe he was trying to protecting his self from the sins of the people. In the end of The Ministers Black Veil Hooper dies, and sees his congregation all wearing black veils, which would probably hint that maybe it represented the sin in all of us. In The Birthmark Georgiana"'"s birthmark could represent, as some religions believe, the original sin which is bestowed on all by the '"'hand'"' of god. But, unlike Hooper, Georgiana could not help her markings.
Both pieces to me seem to represent godlike features. For example, in the palette the king is shown as larger than his enemies and in the stele the king is standing over the people and is much higher than them. As rulers, they are both depicted as strong and heroic and as humans, they are depicted as
What if a child thought their grandmother did not like them? This is what Sarah Revere, the daughter of the famous Paul Revere, thinks of her Grandmother’s attitude towards her, in the novel, The Secret of Sarah Revere by Ann Rinaldi. Sarah Revere is the daughter of the famous Paul Revere, and in this novel, she thinks Grandma Revere is against her. Frequently, Grandma is terrorizing Sarah and her siblings because she is blaming them for their birth mother’s death. Sarah is having a difficult time dealing with grandma who is treating her with disrespect. Also, not liking her as much as she likes Debby, because Sarah does not have the pox marks. While Grandma Revere and Sarah Revere possess related character traits such as being reckless and grateful, they also display different traits such as being
There have been many drama queens in this world. As it turns out, one drama queen in particular was actually a real queen. Her name was Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary had lots of drama throughout her life and it is was this drama that ended in her execution.
It has been said of Anton Chekhov, the renown Russian short-story writer, that in all of his “work, there is never exactly a point. Rather we see into someone’s hear – in just a few pages, the curtain concealing these lives has been drawn back, revealing them in all their helplessness and rage and rancor.” Alice Munro, too, falls into this category. Many of her short-stories, such as “Royal Beatings” focus more on character revelation rather than plot.
Growing up in 1960s, Diana Spencer always knew royalty. This idea of power was a birth right through her father, but yet Diana did not know of the influence she was going to inflict one day. Princess Diana, through her marriage with Prince Charles, became an icon for the United Kingdom and impacted many in the world (Princess Diana Biography Princess). Along with her compassionate heart and humble soul, Diana ascended in the eyes of the public and became England’s sweetheart and beloved leader. Princess Diana soon inspired people all over the world by breaking the royal stereotypes, sponsoring many charities and providing a prime example of what it means to love one’s children and people.
In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" symbols are used to enhance and stress the theme of the story. A symbol is a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings. (Kirszner & Mendell 330) The theme of the story is how coldness and lack of compassion can be exhibited in people in situations regarding tradition and values. That people will do incredibly evil and cruel things just for the sake of keeping a routine. Three of the main symbols that Shirley uses in the story is the setting, black box, and the actual characters names. They all tie together to form an intriguing story that clearly shows the terrible potential if society forgets the basis of tradition. The story also shows many similarities between the culture of the village, and the culture of Nazi Germany. How blind obedience to superiors can cause considerable damage to not only a community, but the entire world. Symbolism plays a large role in "The Lottery" to set the theme of the story and make the reader question traditions.
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is an example of medieval misogyny. Throughout Medieval literature, specifically Arthurian legends like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the female characters, Guinevere, the Lady, and Morgan leFay are not portrayed as individuals but social constructs of what a woman should be. Guinevere plays a passive woman, a mere token of Arthur. The Lady is also a tool, but has an added role of temptress and adulteress. Morgan leFay is the ultimate conniving, manipulating, woman. While the three women in this legend have a much more active role than in earlier texts, this role is not a positive one; they are not individuals but are symbols of how men of this time perceive women as passive tokens, adulteresses, and manipulators.
Power is a theme used by Shakespeare throughout the play Macbeth. The plot involves Macbeth trying to gain more power. Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan so that he will become king in his place. Macbeth also is persuaded to kill anyone who threatens his chances of being king, including Banquo. Power is used by certain characters in the play to influence others. One such character is Lady Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, she is a strong-willed character. She takes on the role of a dominant male. She has great influence over her husband, who appears to be weaker than she is. It is her influence that convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth is the dominant partner at the beginning of the play, she persuades Macbeth to achieve his goal, and she plans the murder of Duncan.
The first symbol is all the colors of the room. This symbolizes the ages of one’s life or the seven deadly sins. The colors are the rooms are “…blue- and were the windows. The second was purple… the third was green…the fourth was orange…the fifth was white…the sixth was violet…the seventh was
Throughout history, the role of women in society was infinitesimal. They were considered to have few jobs and often did not play any major part in political and social matters. However in the story of Macbeth, women play a few very influential and negative roles. The only women who appear in the play are the witches, Lady Macbeth, and Lady Macduff. All of these characters can be openly seen as hateful. Numerous times throughout the play women perform menacing acts and it can be argued that women are the cause of Macbeth’s transformation from a revered warrior to an evil tyrant. In the Shakespeare’s Macbeth, women are depicted as manipulative, insane, and distrustful.
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
over his wife as he refers to her as a belonging; it also shows that
Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a historical film about the reign of Elizabeth I during the Renaissance Era. It is a sequel to the film Elizabeth and is directed by Shekhar Kapur. This film was pleasing and enjoyable to watch despite its historical inaccuracies and goriness. The costumes and makeup and hair design were absolutely gorgeous and stunning.
Queen Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich, United Kingdom. (Bio.com) The queen was recognized most by her nickname “The Virgin Queen.” Elizabeth I was the long filling queen of England, the Elizabethan era is actually named after her. Elizabeth governed with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. (Bio.com)