Marital Paradigm Essay Example for Free

Marital Paradigm Essay I grew up in a joint family in India, which had 3 married couple and their kids. Marital relationships that I saw in my family were not great but not bad either. All the men used to work in the family business and the women used to take care of the children and the house. Many times my parents used to fight and my dad used to scream at my mom, but my mom never had the guts to say anything to him. I always saw that my mom was scared of him and I used to question myself why doesn’t she reply back. And being a girl myself I used to think that probably girls cant say anything when theirs husband are screaming at them. I used to talk to my mom and tell her why cant she reply back, but I never really got an answer. I always saw my mom as the weaker one in the relationship. On the other hand we had a family friend and both husband wife used to work as college professors. In their house the husband never screamed at the wife, I am sure they had conflicts but you could totally see the respect that he gave to his wife. When I grew a little bit older my mom started telling me how she felt. That was when she told me that she was a housewife and my dad was the one who earned in the family and thus he could talk like that to my mom. My dad always dominated her as he is the man of the family and is the one responsible for all the decisions of the family. And this was not only my parents I 4saw this trend throughout my family with the other two couples as well. Certain assumptions that I saw in the relationships were that even if it was my dad’s fault, my mom always had to be the first one to apologize. Also since my mom is eight years younger than my dad I saw that my dad didn’t really understand her and took her for granted at times. Bring the older one he tried to impose certain things on her. I also saw that if I tried to calm down my dad he didn’t like it as I was a child and I should not be involved in their matters. This training has had a lot of impact on my relationships. As I always saw my mom being dominated by my dad, I didn’t want that to happen with me. When I grew up I had certain things very clear in my mind. I wanted to be educated enough so that I can earn myself and have a good job, so I never dependent on my husband for anything. For that reason I came to USA and decided to study here. In my past relationships, I made it very clear to my artners that my career is more important than anything in my life and I wouldn’t leave it for anyone. I was also very clear about anyone screaming at me. Since I saw my mom always being screamed at and I always hated it. Also I have certain things straight for my future. I want my husband to understand that I will not stop working and be a housewife, so that later I have to dependent on him. I want him to respect my decisions and me. Many times I have seen that the women of the house are not asked to contribute in family matters, and I think that is not right at all. So I want to have a relationship where we both contribute in the family matters and come to a conclusion together. I am not yet married but I think the things I have in mind for my marital relationship are very clear. According to the book women still do two-third of the household work. I think if women can earn like men do, then men should work the same like women. I think my idea of marriage is based on a simple rule, which is to give the amount of resect you get. And I think it is pretty healthy because if two people cannot respect each other for what they are then they cannot be together for long. Moreover I have been taught marriage is not only about two people, but it is about two families that get together. And I expect my husband to respect and get along with my family as being the only child I think my parents are my responsibility and will always be. Thus whoever marries me has to understand the importance of my parents in my life, and on the other hand I want to be comfortable with his family too. I also feel that at times girls tend to be too clingy with their partners, and I think that is one reason why guys get irritated. Therefore I would like to give space to my husband when he needs and expect the same from him. Some people might think that this is being stupid but I know I wouldn’t like if my husband gets over protective about me, and the same way I don’t want to be over protective about him. I know it’s not easy to be with a person like me who is over ambitious. And at times it can be a problem for guys to see the girl so much into her work, and for me my career has always been more important than anything. I think this can be a problem when I get married, because at times it has been a problem for my boyfriends to understand my passion about my work. This is something I want to work on as most of the times guys don’t understand this. Also I like the idea of peer marriage as in a marriage where both people respect each other equally and understand each other’s likes and dislikes it becomes easier to be together. According to the book faithfulness is the number one reason for marital success. And I totally agree with this, even if the physical relationship between two people is not that good, if they both are faithful to each other nothing can separate them. My parents have not only taught me to be faithful but I also have seen this in their relationship. Even though my father was dominating my mother, they are still together. This is because no one of them was unfaithful to the other. Also I think from a few years the fights between my parents reduced I think this happened because they saw that I am a grown up now and all this might affect my thoughts about marriage. Children are a big reason why two people stay together even if they don’t want to. But I think that’s not right. I don’t want my husband to be with me just because of our children, because that’s doing a favor to our relationship. I would like us to be together because we make each other happy not because of a third reason. I am brought up in a culture where non-marital sex is not accepted. And these values are embedded inside me. I know now a days girls have sex when they are 14 years of age, but I am 21 years old and I am still a virgin. Being in USA and telling your boyfriend that you wont have sex with him because of your culture is not easy. Many times people judge my beliefs but that has not affected me at all. I want my husband to respect my beliefs and understand where I am coming from. Because for me a relationship is not only about getting physical, there is a lot more to it, and what I have heard and seen around me is that guys only want to get physical. I know according to the book sex is the second reason why marriages work. But for me it is not. I am not against sex at all, but I don’t want my marriage to be dependent on it. Book talks about homogamous marriage, which is a type of marriage in which spouses share their race, ethnicity, age, or social class. Basically a marriage where the two people have something in common. Obviously my parents want me to get married to a guy from the same caste and I agree with them. Because I think if the guy is familiar with my religion, my caste, and my society there is better change of understanding between both of us. In a nutshell I want a marriage where we both can share our happiness, and problems with each other without any problem. A relationship where I get the same respect that I give to the other person.

Aeneid :: essays research papers

The Greek and Roman spirit influenced the book Aeneid in many ways. Virgil made Aeneas' behavior such that he was fully qualified to be called a Roman hero. Aeneas reflected very few Greek traits. He was very much the "Roman hero."Greek heroes were very different from Roman heroes. Will Durant, author of Caesar and Christ says, "It (the Aeneid) would also show the role of Roman character in these achievements and seek to make ancient virtues popular, it would picture its hero as reverent of the gods and guided by them and would fall in as Augusta reformation of morals and faith" (239).Greek heroes were well rounded. Greeks would study music, dancing, rhetoric, philosophy, mathematics, physical training, and military science. Studying rhetoric, philosophy, and mathematics made Greeks more useful citizens. The Greeks two main beliefs were: know thyself, and nothing in excess. Greeks strove for arete`. According to Hastings "arete` is excellence". Roman heroes were considered great because of their achievements on the battle field. Even though the Roman and Greek minds are greatly different they have a few similarities. Both the Romans and Greeks had 1polis. They did, however, have different definitions of home. The one thing remains constant is that they would both risk their lives to reach home. Aeneas had to risk his life to journey from Troy to reach Italy where Rome was established. To the Romans, the state had to be placed above ones needs. The Greek definition of home is more family. Both the Roman and the Greeks respected and feared their gods. Aeneas had gods helping and hindering him. The goddess Juno was Aeneas' enemy. Juno often interfered with Aeneas' life. Juno tried to prevent Aeneas from reaching his goal. Aeneas' goal was to establish Rome. The Greeks believed that anything that was pointless was like punishment. Like the Greeks, the Romans could see little sense in doing something that had no definite conclusion.As said before, Greeks had a strong dedication to their city-state. Aeneas had to reach Italy where Rome was established. Greeks believed in nothing in excess. This is shown in the Aeneid when Aeneas and his crew landed on the island, they found a Greek who was accidentally left behind. Instead of killing him, Aeneas treated him fairly. Aeneas showed self-control.Romans preferred war. It was in their nature to fight. They were raised to battle. Romans were not well rounded, their main or only study growing up was physical training and military science.

John the Baptist Portrayed in Art

Saint John The Baptist There are countless portrayals of John the Baptist and the representation of his relationship to Jesus and to the Church. John has been one of the saints most frequently appearing in Christian art. The Baptism of Christ was one of the earliest scenes from the life of Christ to be frequently depicted in Early Christian art. John's tall, thin, and bearded figure is already established and recognizable by the 5th century. In the Gospel of Luke, we are first introduced to him when Mary goes to tell her cousin, Elizabeth, the news of her pregnancy.Elizabeth, already six month’s pregnant, felt the unborn child â€Å"jump for joy† in her womb. According to the Gospels, John declared, â€Å"I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord. ’† Christians interpret this to mean that John was sent to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. John does just this, when he is the one who recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and baptizes him. The baptism marks the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Because this was said to be the beginning, John is know as John the Baptist and John the Forerunner.We will describe the appearance of John the Baptist further in our analysis and how this depicts his life hundreds of years later. The first work, titled â€Å"John the Forerunner† was done by an unknown iconographer in the typical Orthodox style during the 11th Century. It follows the prototypes established for John the Baptist within the Eastern tradition. In fact, the orthodox often refer to John as the Forerunner, as you see in this piece, because as stated before, he led the way for Christ’s arrival. As most orthodox works are, John is very still and lacking emotion, and there is no emphasis on three dimensionality.The mosaic relies heavily on symbolism instead, by portraying John with a scroll in his left hand and a gesture pointing up to Jesus Christ with his right hand. The iconic imag ery of the scroll symbolizes John’s importance and holiness as a preacher of God. The scroll reads â€Å"ECCE AGNUS DEI, QUI TOLLIT PECCATA MUNDI†, or â€Å"Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,† marking John’s prediction of the Messiah’s approach. Typically, we see John dressed in his camel tunic, but here, we see the specifics of his clothing may vary. John the Baptist is also depicted with a halo, emphasizing his ainthood and his major contribution to the life and mission of Christ. In Donatello’s bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist, we see his tunic made of camel hair, along with the iconographic imagery of his raised right arm and his symbolic staff and scroll in his let arm. Although the imagery is still present, Donatello gives St. John emotions with the expression of pain or grief on his face. The adding of emotion was a fairly common trait of the Florentine High Renaissance period, and it also signifies a slight shift in representation compared to our previous Orthodox work.For quite some time, there was debate over the completion date of the sculpture. In 1973, the restoration of the piece revealed a signature and date of 1438. The date confirms that Donatello carved the sculpture in Florence for the Venetian confraternity of the Florentines. The Renaissance was a time of innovation within religious art. We start to see it with Donatello’s work, but it is strikingly clear in Jacopo del Sellaio’s circa 1480 version of St. John. Sellaio abandons the iconic scroll, traditional clothing, and even John’s gesture made toward the heavens.Instead, Sellaio shows us a youthful John the Baptist, wearing bright, impressive colors. Included is a small bowl, placed at John’s feet to symbolize the baptism of Christ. Other than that, most of the religious symbolism has transferred to political symbolism, evident in the detail of the landscape. In the distance, we see th e Palazzo Vecchio, Brunelleschi’s dome cathedral and the campanile designed by Giotto. Therefore, this work would have appealed to the Church and the people of Florence by combining a sense of religious, social, and political pride, which was also not uncommon during the Renaissance in Florence.The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist, by Pieter Bruegel, was done in the elaborately detailed Baroque style during the Reformation Period of Northern Europe. In the painting dated 1566, and done with oil on wood, we recognize a village preacher at one of the countless religious congregations that took place during the Reformation. The preacher is identified as John the Baptist, as he is in his traditional camel cloak. St. John is almost lost in the heart of the picture, leaving the colorful, unorganized crowd to be the principal subject of the painting.We must search for the meaning of the painting by looking closely; scanning to see what story the painter intended to tell. John the Ba ptist therefore is not in the traditional iconic format here. The size, detail, and landscape seem to be more of the focus, which is a quality of Baroque Reformation art. This change in focus served as a statement for the Protestants, insinuating that the salvation of humankind lies within the individual’s faith alone, not solely with the canons of the Catholic Church. Our group looked at this painting and immediately noticed the â€Å"light at the end of the tunnel†, or how the path forward, is lit up so brightly.John the Baptist is almost preaching and pointing the way from the dark to the light, from wrong to right, towards the path of Christ. This painting is now on display in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. Dutch artist, Bartholomeus Breenbergh, completed his version of The Preaching of John the Baptist circa 1634, which is again in the Baroque Reformation period. Breenbergh does represent John the Baptist traditionally for the most part, keeping his right ha nd pointed to the sky and his left hand holding a staff. On the contrary though, the attention to individuality and landscape still presents itself, much like Bruegel’s work.The crowd around John the Baptist seems to be preoccupied and somewhat inattentive, further symbolizing the Catholic and Protestant split. John the Baptist may be talking of the Saviors arrival, and has scared those who do not or refuse to believe. Breenbergh’s piece can be viewed in person in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City. Spanish artist, El Greco is credited for his Counter Reformation work in his rendition of St. John the Baptist. The detailed landscape we have discussed previously is still incorporated, however, the focus and iconography are extremely emphasized.Paying tribute to the traditional St. John the Baptist, El Greco removes the confusion of the Reformation style and retains his pose, staff, camel tunic, and lamb. The images we have seen so far have not included the lamb, but in earlier images of St. John the Baptist, the lamb was commonly interchangeable with the scroll or staff. If the scroll or staff were absent from the image, then a book or object with a picture of a lamb on it would be present, in order to keep the iconography of Jesus Christ within the context.We see El Greco taking the initiative and mixing the Catholic Church’s traditional conventions with the Baroque style, which essentially is the definition of Counter Reformation art. Another example of Counter Reformation art during the Baroque period can be seen in Mattia Preti’s Saint John the Baptist Preaching. Similar to El Greco’s work, the symbolism and iconography is much more in-depth compared to the Reformation art in the north. The Counter Reformation style resorts back to the heavy emphasis on symbolism in art, a quality that seemed to fade during the Renaissance.This return to symbolism served as the Catholic Church’s statement on the importa nce of tradition and its restoration after the Protestant Reformation. John the Baptist looks almost exhausted, assumed from preaching, as the background shows the sun setting after a long day. The lamb is also laying down, looking towards where John is pointing to the coming of Jesus. In Philippe de Champaigne’s 1657 version of John the Baptist, we are able to see him up close and large in size in comparison to other portrayals as well as to the background of this painting in general. De Champaigne has St.John looking out, assuming that he does not yet have your attention. His glare seems to take you in and point you in the direction of an approaching figure. As the Forerunner, Jesus’ precursor, John the Baptist is announcing the coming of the Messiah with the staff and scroll announcing â€Å"Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world. † John the Baptist is about to hand over his reign as preacher to the greater one who is on His way. This painting almost transcends time, John is not just pointing us back to the past, but to how Jesus’ mission is still in the future.The picture shows Jesus as someone we haven't met, haven't heard of, and can barely see yet. It is showing its viewer the coming of Jesus then and as He will come again, as the scripture tells us. The life-size marble statue of St. John the Baptist, by Giuseppe Obici, shows that during the 19th century, the Catholic Church was still holding strong to its iconic representation of St. John the Baptist. By this point, the traditional conventions displayed in this sculpture should be obvious, furthering the importance of iconography in art, at least by the Catholic Church’s standards.Just twenty-two years after Obici’s ever-symbolic John the Baptist, French sculptor Auguste Rodin breaks the mold of the Church’s iconographic representation. In Rodin’s version, St. John is stripped of his normal tunic and left nude, a feature t hat would not have been popular amongst the ideals of the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century. The religious symbolism is also removed from this work. The lamb representing his holiness as a preacher is left out, and although it appears St. John’s gesture towards heaven remains, this convention is left out also.Sources say that the statue was originally holding a cross in his right hand, but was soon removed to take away any narrative context for the figure. Without the cross, there aren’t any religious connotations involved with this piece, other than its title. Some may consider this to be a sign of the Church’s declining influence on art and a beginning to the contemporary age of the 20th century. Moving on to Modern art, the work done last year by a young English artist, Lara French, entitled â€Å"John the Baptist† after its inspiration, the medieval work on the right.This abstracted piece of modern art removes itself even further from the orig inal icon of John the Baptist, maybe as far as physically and symbolically possible. We speculated and talked as a group about any possible connections between the two, and came up with very few. We therefore look forward to hearing what our classmates have to say and to see if they find any features that we missed. In conclusion, we have looked at works ranging from the 11th century to today. The early Orthodox works appear highly iconographic and unconcerned with anything else.The Renaissance introduced to the world new ways to look at religious art. This was mainly due to the growing power and pride of Popes, aristocratic families, and the politics of Florence at the time. The Church lost some of this power during the Reformation, in which the Protestants used art to make statements about their beliefs. In reaction, the Catholic Church did the same by restoring their tradition and iconography in their art. Finally, as the need for patrons declined and the presence of artistic fre edom increased, iconography in art is now generally decided by artists themselves.

The Tone Of August Wilson - 1377 Words

The tone that August Wilson uses is an approachable and lofty blend at the same time. To begin with the protagonist of fences, Troy is a mindful man whose dreams are obstructed, this makes him have confidence in self-made fantasies. The play first begins with an entertaining story about his struggle with a personified Death character. In addition to this Troy has the ability to live in a fictitious world, denying his affair with Alberta. Troy instigates conflict as a result of his ability to believe in self-made illusions and his inability to acknowledge other’s decisions in life when they vary from Troy’s own philosophy. Troy’s name symbolically exhibits Troy’s character as one who lives on a line between two contradicting thoughts. Troy Maxson begins the play loved, admired and getting away with his secret affair. Yet, inevitably, Troy’s death leaves many negative characteristics as a legacy for his family to deal with and acknowledge. Although this may be true, the setting is set in the dirt yard of the Maxson house. All this seems notable that the Maxson’s aren’t the richest people in town. Clearly, the set remind us that money is a constant concern for Troy and his family. They relay in Troy’s salary as garbage collector. Furthermore, we see that August Wilson did name his play â€Å"Fences† because of the dramatic action depends strongly on the building of a fence in the Maxson’s backyard. The character’s lives change around the fence which serves as both a literal and aShow MoreRelatedFences, By Eileen J. Morris966 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Fences† is a theater play run at Ensemble Theater located in Houston and it was written by August Wilson and directed by Eileen J. Morris. Fences is the African-American story of a black family trying to settle in the middle of the American Pittsburgh urban area in the 1950s. Wilson made special attention to the details of the time and brought them to the present, in a nice and original every day production. Fences play starts on a Friday, when Troy and Bono go to Troy s house as usual for theirRead MoreFences, By Eileen J. Morris968 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Fences† is a theatre play run at Ensemble Theatre, located in Houston and it was written by August Wilson and directed by Eileen J. Morris. Fences is the African-American story of a black family trying to settle in the middle of the American Pittsburgh urban area in the 1950s. Wilson made special attention to the details of the time and brought them to the present, in a nice and original everyday production. Fences play starts on a Friday, when Troy and Bono go to Troy s house as usual for theirRead MoreFences : Fences By August Wilson1541 Words   |  7 PagesName: Alejandro Ahmed Date: 12/6/16 Unit: American Drama Title: Fences Author: August Wilson Year of Publication: 1986 Fences Study Guide Descriptive i. Overview: â€Å"Fences†, was a play written by August Wilson in 1986. The play communicates the story of the son of an unsuccessful sharecropper, Troy Maxson, who has lived most of his life independently due to his father’s abuse during his childhood. The play focuses on Troy’s interactions and conflicts with other characters, and the complicated relationshipsRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of August Wilsons Fences758 Words   |  4 PagesRhetorical Analysis Paper August Wilson’s play, â€Å"Fences†, is a play about a father who is trying to make do to support his family as well as come to terms with his boisterous upbringing and the collapse of his Major League Baseball career. The Father, Troy Maxson, resents his son’s painless childhood and chances to pursue a college level football career. In multiple excerpts from the play, Troy brutally lectures his son Cory about life and adulthood. He uses short and incomplete sentences, rhetoricalRead MoreAnalysis Of Ma Rainey s Black Bottom By August Wilson1713 Words   |  7 Pagesof their Music Blues and jazz music, though they both have great roots in African American history, are undeniably different forms of expressing feelings that can be played using the same instruments. In the text, Ma’ Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson, there is a great conflict between one of the main characters, Levee, and the band he is to play with. His style of musical expression is Jazz, but he is playing in a blues band. Toledo and Levee are the two main characters used to convey the personificationRead MoreThe Rise And Fall Of Troy Maxon1278 Words   |  6 Pagesof Troy Maxon: An Analysis of August Wilson’s play Fences In Fences, August Wilson, the playwright, provides a believable and powerful examination of the African American experience in the late 1950’s. It provides an apt portrayal of the mentality of African American men going into the civil rights movement, as well as a well-developed account of the friction that occurs between a father and a son, and a husband and wife in the face of conflict. According to Wilson, his play provides CaucasiansRead MoreEssay on An Analysis for the Play Fences1293 Words   |  6 PagesFences - An Analysis James E. May Averett University History of the Theatre TH 220 / BBA 469 Ronal Stepney November 07, 2011 The story line seemed melodramatic throughout the play. The author (August Wilson) has laid the ground work of many themes throughout the play. The play deals with Race, Men and their masculinity, Morality, Dreams and hopes of everyone involved, Family, Duty, Betrayal and Dissatisfaction. The play begins with Troy and his best friend Bono entering the yard chattingRead MoreThe Legacy Of Jazz And The Civil Rights Movement1432 Words   |  6 Pagesrepresent a variety of things, life, tenacity, even progressivism. Interestingly, jazz also represents all of these things off the page. Therefore a harmonious combination of the two art mediums would result in a powerful piece of literature. August Wilson was an author who realized this and was able to create a fusion of music as a support of the major theme in his play Fences. The way the author uses music to highlight the main theme of discrepancies between liberalism and conservatism not onlyRead MoreA Comparison Of Fences By Augu st Wilson1162 Words   |  5 Pagescharacter† (Mays 164). It tells you a lot about a character by revealing the character’s personality throughout the story. Setting also creates a strong emotion throughout the story, that the audience can understand. In the film and play â€Å"Fences† by August Wilson we can see the impact of setting in both versions of the story. The setting and characterization of the play and movie changes in certain scenes, allowing the audience to make a comparison of the two. Overall, the film does a better job depictingRead MorePolice Brutality And Black Victims1449 Words   |  6 Pageswere no charges in the case. The grand jury found no reasonable cause to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo. Though, this is not the only side to this case. Basically, Eric Garner resisted arrest from the police. It is said that Garner’s argumentative tone and words could have justified for the force that was used. â€Å"It stops today,† he said, this also being considered resistance of arrest. When the supposed chokehold was used, Pantaleo said that he was attempting to use a maneuver to force a larger man