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Review of a people's history of the united states
Critical analysis essay on a peoples history of the united states
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The Tempest in the Wilderness is an insightful and well-written article. It brings up some interesting ideas and draws surprising parallels between The Tempest and the colonization of the New World. Ronald Takaki skillfully analyzes the play and carries out his ideas to their completion. His research is extensive and it incorporates all perspectives. It is an important piece to re ad for a CSJ student because it includes all of the facts and tells both sides of the story, similar to A People’s History. Articles such as this are essential to having a well rounded perspective of history and of works of art such as The Tempest.
In this article, Takaki addresses the idea of savagery and its role in both The Tempest and in the process of colonization. The idea of a “savage” was very prominent in people's minds at the time this play was written. In England, the established idea of a savage was the Irish, due to their lack of technology and other social institutions that the British were so used to, but at this time, the definition was rapidly evolving, due to the exploration of the New World. Exposure to Native Americans was increasing
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and there was a “need” to demonize a whole new group of people. Shakespeare based Caliban heavily on this image of a new kind of savage. Takaki expertly analyzes Shakespeare’s character and concisely draws parallels between the two ideas of a savage. Takaki emphasizes the reason for the popularity of the image of a savage and how it was used as a tool for justification.
He points out how spreading this public image of the Native Americans benefitted the colonists and made it so they could take land without feeling bad or having to answer to anyone. This was all part of the system of justification that the colonists used to serve themselves. They said that the Indians were not using their land to its full potential, that God wanted the whites to have the land, and that the Natives’ form of savagery was “consent” for the colonists to steal from them. Takaki takes all of these forms of justification and finds their parallels in The Tempest, which he does very skillfully. He both exposes the genius of Shakespeare’s writing and the evils of the colonists in a profound and impressive
essay. While the essay was very astute and insightful, some parts rambled a little bit and it became a little tangential. The main idea behind the essay was that The Tempest was written as a metaphor for colonialism. Takaki oftentimes strayed from the subject and talks about the historical events as separate concepts. While an in depth history is important and enriches the essay, it unraveled the structure. The reader could lose themselves in the factual retelling and forget what the purpose of the essay was. That minor critique aside, this essay was very enjoyable and it is important in the context of social justice and understanding literature. Takaki uses The Tempest very effectively to convey his point and his final product is one of great value. While complicated in language and occasionally meandering, this essay is informative and very useful in developing a versatile outlook on history. It is great material to prepare for reading The Tempest and it enhances the experience. It is an important piece of the CSJ curriculum and encourages deeper reading of the course material.
_____. The Tempest. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square, 1994.
John Wilders' lecture on The Tempest given at Oxford University - Worcester College - August 4th, 1999.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare is one of the most relevant and studied plays of the Elizabethan period among scholars, from both, ancient and actual times. One of the many readings that have prevailed suggests that the play’s protagonist, Prospero, and his two su-pernatural servants, Ariel and Caliban, can work as a single psychological unit is constantly discussed by the academics. This reading is not new; it has been considered for longer than the idea of The Tempest as an autobiographical allegory, being first proposed by Thomas Campbell in 1838 (Yachnin).
Apparent from this play, the post-colonial text ties in the features of home and the exotic while incorporating various post-colonial themes. The Tempest, being considered a canonical text, has undergone re-interpretations in a post-colonial light to display varied themes central to texts written and referring to time periods during and after colonization. Through the character's experiences, the ideas of home and the exotic are exposed, revealing post-colonial meanings and ideas.
Through The Tempest play, William Shakespeare weaves together a tale that is characterized by anti-colonialist sentiments. Prospero - the deposed Milan Duke - adopts a colonialist mentality by treating his colleagues as slaves who have no rights. Characters who suffer mistreatment under Prospero include: Ariel - the spirit creature; Ferdinand - the Naples Prince; and Caliban - Sycorax’s son. Prospero possesses much magical power which he uses to oppress his compatriots. Consequently, Prospero is portrayed as a colonial tyrant who abuses his immense power. Anti-colonialism feelings are especially evident through the actions, utterances and disposition and of Caliban, Miranda, Ferdinand and Ariel. To illustrate, Caliban berates Prospero for the former’s forced labor. Likewise, Ariel protests Prospero’s reluctance to release the former as earlier agreed. Miranda also expresses her dissatisfaction with Prospero’s unfair imprisonment of Ferdinand. Similarly, Ferdinand appears to challenge Prospero’s authority by briefly stopping dragging timber so as to flirt and chat with Miranda. The foregoing four characters exhibit conduct that highlights their displeasure with Prospero’s colonial-style authority over them. From the preceding expose, it can thus be concluded that Shakespeare’s The Tempest play is about anti-colonialism based on its depiction of Caliban, Miranda, Ferdinand and Ariel’s opposition to Prospero’s oppressive authority.
Davidson, Frank. "The Tempest: An Interpretation." In The Tempest: A Casebook. Ed. D.J. Palmer. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1968. 225.
Allan Gilbert’s article summarizes about the multiple parallels that can be found in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. While some of these parallels are more obvious in The Tempest, some require a scholar to fully comprehend them.
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest blends elements of adventure and intellectual inquiry. The plot of Shakespeare’s last work contains comedy, romance, and action enough to sustain the interest of his common audience. However, there lies beneath the eloquent language and exciting plot an intelligent political commentary. Shakespeare uses the setting of a virtually uninhabited island as an experimental testing ground for the institution of slavery. Shakespeare shows through his island experiment that subjugation, once instituted, seems to perpetuate itself. While the most automatic explanation of this cyclical nature of slavery would be to say that this political rule is continued by the subjugators, the surprising reality is that it is the victim of colonialism who continues the cycle of slavery. Caliban, the native "islander"(2.2.36), despises his condition as a slave. However, in his attempt to disrupt and overthrow the political order instituted on the island by Prospero, Caliban actually provides evidence of the power of slavery over both man and mind.
To pin these works against the idea of colonization, Cesaire and Hwang must greatly alter the content. They do so, but they also mimic the styles of the original versions. A Tempest is written in modern English, and Shakespeare's songs are substituted with slave tunes. Hwang dr...
The comparison between Shakespeare’s 1611 play The Tempest and Garth Davis’s 2017 film Lion explores how discoveries can be confrontational, causing the protagonist and through the rediscovery of home, brings a sense of wholeness and joy. Both The Tempest a pastoral romance and Lion a biographical drama film facilitates the examination of …Question….. In The Tempest, Shakespeare explores how discoveries can be confrontational and unintentional discoveries can be confrontational and cause the secondary character Alonso great deals of pain but can be rewarding. Within act 3 scene 3, Ariel plays tricks on Alonso and others but in the end, they are reunited with their lost family.
Skura, Meredith A. Discourse and the Individual: The Case of Colonialism in the Tempest. (1989): page 42-69. JSTOR. Web. 06 Feb 2011
colonising discourse and expanding territory. The Tempest thus incorporates concerns of the Jacobean 17th century context, used to naturalise the resolution.
Illusion and Reality in Shakespeare's The Tempest. This essay will discuss the part that illusion and reality play in developing and illuminating the theme of Shakespeare's The Tempest. This pair of opposites will be contrasted to show what they represent in the context of the play. Further, the characters associated with these terms, and how the association becomes meaningful in the play, will be discussed.
The Tempest, by Shakespeare, offers the reader a variety of themes. The one theme that stands out the most is that of colonialism. During the time of Shakespeare, many European countries such as Spain, France, and England, were expanding their borders by taking over less developed countries, referred to as colonies. During this time of exploitation, there was skepticism concerning the possible success of the colonies. While some scholars believe that the play is about the Americas, I argue that the play reflects on colonialism in general and how it is destined for failure which is shown through the character’s relationships throughout the play.
Shakespeare, William, and Robert Woodrow Langbaum. The Tempest: With New and Updated Critical Essays and A Revised Bibliography. New York, NY, USA: Signet Classic, 1998. Print.