William Langlands Poem Piers Plowman

William Langlands Poem Piers Plowman The vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman is an allegorical poem written in alliterative verse in the form of a dream vision, which depicts in great detail the structure and moral values of the English society during the fifteenth century. It provides a perspective on the social matters during that period and poses questions concerning the spiritual life and moral values of the various social classes, offering profound insight into the problematic issues of the time. The power of its narrative lies in the strong satire directed at the corruptness and depravity of the social system which stems from the individuals lack of true understanding of the moral values represented in the biblical text. The poem states the authors indignation and discontent with the immoral practices on all levels of social hierarchy, criticizing the corruptive nature of all classes, including the peasantry, the merchants and above all the clergy, and exposing their representatives as lacking the basic human morality and whose existence is deprived of any spiritual value. The popularity of the poem during the fourteenth century accounts for the power of its moral and political satire. It remained popular throughout the fifteenth century and it was regarded in the sixteenth by the leaders of the reformation as an inspiration and a prophecy, and, in modern times, has been quoted by every historian of the fourteenth century as the most vivid and trustworthy source for the social and economic history of the time (The Cambridge History of English and American Literature). This has often led to its misinterpretation as a call for social reformation and an expression of overall dissatisfaction with the social organization of the time. The poem, though used for the rebels propaganda during the peasant revolts, is not revolutionary in its essence. It does not suggest a reorganization of the social structure but rather expresses criticism of the existing conditionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and condemnation of the life led by practically all the classes: blame of friars, o f lawyers, of the clergy, of bishops, of nobles, of the poor who will not work (Mincoff, 126). Throughout the narrative we encounter multiple references to the inadequate performance of their individual duties and the inability to fulfill their social role. The social corruptness is a direct result of mans moral depravity, which is at the bottom of all misfortunes and the primary cause for the malfunction of the social system as a whole (Mincoff, 126). A panoramic view of the English medieval society is offered in the very first part of the poem, the Prologue. It offers a general description of the major class representatives, thus providing the reader with a holistic perspective on the English society. There is a certain irony in this initial description which sets the satiric tone that can be felt later on throughout the text of the poem. Many of those in the crowd walking through the valley are subjected to the satire and moral condemnation of the author, regardless of their social status. The rich and the poor are criticized equally beggars, friars, the pardoner, the priest and the lawyers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Bidderes and beggeres faste aboute yede [Til] hire bely and hire bagge [were] bredful ycrammed, Faiteden for hire foode, foughten at the aleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I fond there freres, alle the foure ordres, Prechynge the peple for profit of [the wombe]: Glosed the gospel as hem good liked; For coveitise of copes construwed it as thei woldeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But many others deserve praising and they are praised equally regardless their class or wealth the ploughmen, the nuns and hermits, the honest merchants and the minstrels (The Cambridge History of English and American Literature). The authors criterion for evaluation is not the social class, the possession or lack of wealth, but the fulfillment of ones duties and ones honest life. There is no fault in the hierarchical structure of society, what is faulty is man who has lapsed into idleness and vice, therefore the change should take place within mans heart first. The recipe is simple and its given to the dreamer in the form of advice by the Holy Church (Mincoff, 127): Love is leche of lif and next Oure Lord selve, And also the graithe gate that goth into hevene. Forthi I seye as I seide er by sighte of the textes: Whan alle tresors ben tried, Treuthe is the beste. The authors satire can be felt particularly strong through the skillful use of the grotesque in the depiction of the wedding company setting off for Westminster. The journey of the laughable party is by no means an exception to the poem, it is only one of the numerous episodes where caricature is used to convey the authors strong disapproval and discontent. Due to the lack of horses the party rides on the backs of saddled sheriffs, assessors, notaries and all sorts of officials (Mincoff, 127). And Favel fette forth thanne foles ynowe And sette Mede upon a sherreve shoed al newe, And Fals sat on a sisour that softeli trotted And Favel on a flaterere fetisly atired. Some of the most impressive examples of this characteristic use of the grotesque we find in the confessions of the Seven Deadly Sins (Mincoff, 128). They are described with such a great skill that their appearance speaks more than their words. And thanne cam Coveitise, I kan hym naght discryve So hungrily and holwe Sire Hervy hym loked. He was bitelbrowed and baberlipped, with two blered eighen And as a letheren purs lolled hise chekes Wel sidder than his chyn thei chyveled for elde; And as a bondeman of his bacon his berd was bidraveled; With an hood on his heed, a lousy hat above, In a [torn] tabard of twelf wynter age; But if a lous couthe lepe the bettre, She sholde noght wa[ndr]e on that Welche, so was it thredbare! Meed is the character who embodies to the greatest degree the authors satire. She brings confusion and corruption to the world and the love for Meed is spread through all classes of society and is deeply rooted in the viciousness of mans nature. There are no satirical attacks against any class in particular, because they are all equally poisoned by the love of Meed. The power of the satire lies in the skillful use of allegory. The personified characters are not mere one-dimension abstractions employed to speak the authors mind, they are fully fledged characters, vividly depicted, moving and breathing, participating in various situations and characterized by a distinctive speech manner. The author very rarely interferes directly to criticize or moralize, which makes the poem more objective. We may say that the poems satire works on subconscious level, influencing the reader through powerful and memorable images and the portrayal of colourful characters instead of imposing his views an d ideas directly (The Cambridge History of English and American Literature). His satire is almost exclusively conveyed through the speech of his characters and the interaction between them. In that sense, its implicit rather than explicit, more subtle and far more effective. The evil-doers in society are not the only ones subjected to the authors satire, the wasters who spend all their lives in idleness and who are not willing to work are also severely criticized for they all fail in performing their social roles. The passive existence of the idlers is as unacceptable as the existence of those who do harm and indulge in immoral activities. The authors view on the labour organization within society is clearly stated by Piers refusal to feed those who do not work, except for those who are physically disabled. Every part of the society has to make its contribution and perform its duties. The only possible solution is Hunger, who is the only one capable of forcing the wasters to work. The author of the poem is well aware that the beggars and all the rest who refuse to work disrupt the balance is society and pose a threat to the social order. One should not rely on others effort and hard work. Decisive measures should be undertaken in order to compel them to earn their living. The idlers must be refused any kind of food except for bread and water. But the author seems rather unwilling to accept hard work as a primary virtue as it is evident from the pardon that Piers receives. -Do wel and have wel. and God shal have thi soule, And Do yvel and have yvel, and hope thow noon oother That after thi deeth day the devel shal have thi soule! Everything should be applied in moderation. Excess is the actual subject to his fierce criticism. Every man should dedicate sufficient amount of his time not only to work but to prayer and penance, and to spiritual contemplation, or, as Mincoff put it, it is a warning not to let oneself be carried away too completely by worldly cares, to remember that there is the spiritual life as well (132). The ultimate moral lesson of the poem is that those who are guided by their conscience have a chance for salvation. Conscience is the only one who stays to guard the Church of Unity and search for Christ in the person of Piers at the end of the poem. Conscience appears in the poem as early as in the first vision when the author clearly states his views concerning the government of the country which should be based on Conscience and Reason. Therefore, we may conclude that both the moral growth of the individual and the well-being of the whole society are rooted in human conscience, which is the guiding principle for a good honest life as well as prosperous society while the allegoric treatment of the matter increases the power of suggestion and contributes to the authors trenchant satire.

Health Care Museum Essay

My proposal for a new health care hall of fame museum would include several things. My museum will pay tribute to the five most significant developments in the evolution of health care in the United States. These developments has helped change and save the lives of many people. Exhibit 1: Vaccines and Medications Vaccines and Medications are very important. With these two we have had a significant decrease in the number of people that were hospitalized or caused death. With the â€Å"advances in medical science† you can be protected against more diseases. Medicines can either heal, prevent, or stop diseases or a sickness. Medicine can be used in the form of a tablet, syrup, drugs, and exercise. When we get sick we take medicine for many different reasons. With the help of medicine it will â€Å"restore us back to normal†. Exhibit 2: Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease If you do not have control of infectious diseases from spreading, then we all can be at risk of a big epidemic of disease that are contagious. You have different community partners and health care providers that work with people to discuss the pros and cons of the infectious diseases. We all should work together to prevent the spreading of any kind of germ. This can be something as simple as washing your hands more frequently throughout the day. You would also use vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Exhibit 3: Technology Technology is a great advancement for the health fields, especially now that it is improving every day. Technology has become an important source to obtain medical information. Everyone is using technology on so many  different ways. They are using it to reach â€Å"wider populations,† contact with patients, public awareness, community outreach, and any questions that you may have medically, you can chat with doctors and nurses online as well. Exhibit 4: Medical Equipment Medical Equipment is something I choose, because with the different types of medical equipment it can save many lives. You have different types of medical equipment. â€Å"Diagnostic medical imaging machines† are used to help with diagnosis. MRI, Ultrasound, CT scanner equipment is used to maintain a person’s function. These are just some of the medical equipment’s. You also have other machines that monitor your vital organs in your body. Like EKG machines to monitor your heart, lung and dialysis machines. Exhibit 5: Oxygen Oxygen is needed by all living organism. Without oxygen humans will not be able to survive. In institutions like hospitals, they keep a supply of oxygen in stock that is provided to patients who have difficulty breathing. We must take care of ourselves in order to have a longer life span and in order to live healthy. All of my exhibits that are presented to you, I feel are very important and vital in the health care field. These are all thing that we need in the health care and in order to survive. Reference 1. Health Statistics. Health U.S. 2010: With Special features on death and dying. Hyattsville MD:CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, 2011

The Merchant of Venice-Shylock Analysis

In Shakespeare’s edgy and suspenseful play, â€Å"The Merchant of Venice†, the character of Shylock may evoke complex feelings within the reader. Shylock is clearly a villain in the sense that he takes repeatedly takes advantage of people in vulnerable economic situations and makes a handsome living in this way. He is not an inherently likeable character throughout   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Merchant of Venice† by Shakespeare; he avoids friendships, he is cranky, and he is steadfast in his beliefs to the point of being rigid.Any character analysis of Shylock in â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† should note his tendency for selfish behavior and thinking. Shylock is also a man who is unreasonable and self-thinking, demanding, as one of the important quotes in â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† goes, â€Å"a weight of carrion flesh† (IV. i. 41) from a man he suspects will not be able to repay him simply because it is his â€Å"humour† to do so (IV. i. 43). Bec ause he is the villain of this play, justice can only be served if Shakespeare’s Shylock is punished in a manner that is congruent with his violations of social norms and laws.At the same time, though, his punishment is problematic for it seems to mimic the very crime of which Shylock is really being accused, and that crime is absolutism. By insisting that Shylock must be punished in the way that he is in ‘The Merchant of Venice†, Shakespeare raises doubts about the purity of Christian love and mercy, which certainly creates implications for the very notions of both punishment and villainy.Shylock is a man who is hardly likeable in all aspects throughout   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Merchant of Venice†. Already a marginalized member of Venetian society because he is a Jew and occupies the stereotypical profession of the money-grubbing guarantor, Shylock ensures that his peers and the audience will not like him because of his unreasonableness and unwillingness to let go of his tendencies to be greedy, even in a situation that seems to warrant mercy and pity.In several instances in   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Merchant of Venice† he takes a perverse pleasure in what he refers to in one of the important quotes from â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† by Shakespeare, â€Å"a merry sport† of exacting â€Å"an equal pound/Of†¦fair flesh to be cut off and taken/In what part of [the] body pleaseth me† as the terms of a loan agreement (I. iii. 151-146), terms which he refuses to justify. At the same time, though, the reader, when performing even a basic character analysis of Shylock, can feel a curious compassion for this character, who is so clearly disliked.Although he has imposed isolation on himself by declaring that he will not â€Å"eat/ with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. † ( I. iii/ ll. 33-34), one begins to understand why he has withdrawn from social life when he makes his moving speech in Act III, in which it is asked by Shylock who is the victim of racism, â€Å"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? † (III. i. 54).The reader begins to understand how Shylock has never been understood because no one has ever seen him for anything other than his Jewishness. Again, this complicates the reader’s relationship with his character and the subsequent punishment he receives because although he is not likable, one cannot help but sympathize with his plight as an outcast. It is Shylock himself who teaches the reader and his own peers the most about Christian love and mercy in   Ã¢â‚¬ The Merchant of Venice†.As he continues his Act III speech, he muses about the similarities between Jews and Christians   in one of the meaningful quotes, saying, â€Å"Fed†¦ the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means†¦ as a Christian is†¦. ,† and then confronts his Christian accusers and judges with three profound questions that invoke these themes in â€Å"Merchant of Venice†: â€Å"If you prick us, do we not bleed? † If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? † (III. . 54-62). The cycle of strange violence that Shylock has set into motion will not end once his punishment has been meted out to him, as he goes on to warn in the remainder of the speech. Rather than learn this lesson—namely, that revenge in the guise of justice will never result in anything other than more revenge—Shylock receives his punishment. Years later, we see the same kinds of issues played out in society, proving that we have learned little about what Shakespeare hoped to teach us through Shylock.

Franz Kline Biography

Franz Klines life story reads like a movie plot: Young artist starts out with high hopes, spends years struggling without success, eventually finds a style, becomes an overnight sensation and dies too soon. Kline was best known for his role as an action painter of abstract expressionism, a movement that was popular in New York during the 1940s and 1950s and introduced the world to artists including Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Early Life Kline was born on May 23, 1910  Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. As the cartoonist for his high school newspaper, Kline was a good enough student to leave coal-mining country and attend Boston University. With budding artistic ambition, he went   to study at the Art Students League, and then Heatherly Art School in London. In 1938, he returned to the U.S. with his British wife and settled in New York City. Art Career It seemed New York really didnt care much that Kline had talent back in England and was ready to take on the world. He struggled for years as a figurative artist, doing portraits for two loyal patrons that won him a modest reputation. He also painted city scenes and landscapes, and occasionally resorted to painting barroom murals to pay the rent money. In the mid 1940s, he met de Kooning and Pollock, and began to explore his own growing interest in trying new styles of painting. Kline had been noodling around with black and white for years, creating small brush drawings and projecting them onto the wall of his studio. Now he got rather serious about creating the projected images using just his arm, brush and mental imagery. The pictures that began to emerge were given a solo exhibition in New York in 1950. As a result of the show, Franz became an established name in the art world and his large, black and white compositions—likened to grids, or Oriental calligraphy—achieved notoriety. With his reputation as a leading abstract expressionist secured, Kline concentrated on turning out his new passion. His new work had short, seemingly meaningless names, such as Painting (sometimes followed by a number), New York, Rust or the old stand-by Untitled. He spent his last years trying to introduce color back into the mix, but was cut down in his prime by heart failure. Kline died on May 13, 1962 in New York City. He couldnt explain what his paintings meant, but Kline left the art world with the understanding that explanation of his art was not its intended purpose. His paintings were supposed to make one feel, not comprehend. Important Works Chief, 1950Painting, 1952Painting Number 2, 1954White Forms, 1955Untitled, 1955Lehigh V Span, 1960Le Gros, 1961 Famous Quote The final test of a painting, theirs, mine, any other, is: does the painters emotion come across?