Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Essay -- essays research papers

'Captain Corelli’s Mandolin' S U M M A R Y It is 1941, and a young Italian officer, Captain Antonio Corelli,arrives on the beautiful Greek island of Cephallonia as part of an occupying force. He is billeted in the house of the local doctor, Iannis and his daughter Pelagia. He quickly wins the heart of Pelagia through his humour and his sensitivity, not to mention his stunning ability on the mandolin. But Pelagia is engaged to Mandras, a local fisherman who is away fighting with the Greek army. Despite her growing affection for Corelli, Pelagia continues to write to Mandras, but he does not answer. It transpires that he could not, since he is illiterate. But Pelagia takes this as a sign that their love is dead and she gives herself to Corelli. Then there is the betrayal. Everyone, it seems, in a short space of time, is betrayed. In the autumn of 1943, the Allies invade Sicily instead of the Greek islands, and, in the eyes of the islanders, betray Greece; the Italian commander, General Gandin, betrays his men, the Germans betray the Italians; perhaps Corelli even betrays Pelagia by leaving her. The full horror of war, international and then civil, comes home to all the characters, then is swept away by the tide of history. Pelagia and Corelli are apart and destined to remain so for half a lifetime. Pelagia thinks Corelli is dead, Corelli, visiting Pelagia secretly every year, thinks she is married. Then, in 1953 a new horror hits the island – the earthquake. The events ...

A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story Movie Essay

Is it characters, the storyline, or overall message that makes a movie great? There have been numerous movies made, but just a few have had a sincere impact on people. A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story did just that. It is about a transgender teenage and his amazing journey to self discovery to live life as a woman. It is a true based television movie the premiere in 2006 on Lifetime Movie Network. It is starring JD Pardo as the main character Eddie/Gwen Araujo and Mercedes Ruehl as his mother Sylvia Guerrero. This true based movie works, because it keeps the view’s attention up to the end. The movie begins with Eddie, his mother, and sibling movies into a new house after his mother left his abusive father. Eddie and his family attend his grandfather’s birthday party where Eddie is dress in his sister’s pink party dress by his sister and cousins then present to his family to see. As a child Eddie likes to play dress-up by wearing his mother’s clothes and lip. His strange habits worry her mother, so she has him checked out by a doctor that tells her Eddie is fine. In high school Eddie decides to become Gwen by dressing like a girl, growing his hair, and wearing make-up. Gwen tells his mother that he is spending the night at his best friends, but instead he go to a party. His best friend calls his phone, which his mother answers to discover that Gwen never showed up at her house. The police find Gwen’s body buried in the wilderness wrapped in a shower curtain, which they then inform his family. Gwen was strangled to death with a rope by four yo ung men after they discover that she was a male. The movie ends with Gwen’s murders facing trial for the horrible crime they committed and becoming sentence. On the whole, the film remains a story of a young man who wishes to live life as a woman in world. The movie is completely overflowing with scenes that are uplifting and tear-jerking. An excellent cast of actors helps A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story achieve its success. Gwen’s story allows the viewers to see that even though we live in a modern society there are still somethings people consider something be wrong. Some people feel that being gay or transgender is wrong based on the up bring and religious beliefs. This movie helps get the message across that being transgender is a condition that someone is born. A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story is an excellent movie. If you like movies with drama and realism than A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story is the film for you. During the movie, viewers gain an understanding of transgender people and issues they face in their daily lives. A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, a moving drama about a young man’s courage to make a daring decision to live as a girl and face the world. In today’s modern society there are individuals that still deal with being transgender on a daily basis. If a tragedy like Gwen’s was to occur again, there are now stricter laws on punishment for it. If a hate crime is committed, which none of Gwen’s murders were charged with would end in serious jail time. No one deserves to be killed, because of his or her race, sexuality, or religion. The movie tells viewers that tolerance is the crucial asset for the 21st century and it has got no room for anything else.

Fences by August Wilson - 791 Words

Throughout history, civilizations have built fences to keep enemies out and keep those they want to protect inside. In society today, people create metaphorical fences in order to fence in their feelings, while others create literal fences in order to keep the unwanted away. In the play Fences, the Maxon family lives in 1950’s America whose love for sports and one another are questioned at times when they need to be together the most. In the play Fences by August Wilson, two main characters Troy and Cory Maxon build a fence, literally and metaphorically, which as the book progresses, becomes a symbol that allows each character to truly understand each other. In Fences, Troy Maxon builds a fence around his property that contains metaphorical reasons as well as the literal meaning. During a conversation with Troy and Cory, Bono mentions the fence Troy is building for his wife Rose and says â€Å"Some people build fences to keep people out...and other people build fences to ke ep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you† (61). Bono explains this to Troy because Cory was unable to comprehend why Rose wanted the fence up in the first place. This opens the reader up to the symbolization of the fence itself. The fence allows Rose to keep Troy with her because she has loved him for so many years and does not want to let him go or leave her for another woman. Later, in Act two, Troy, after speaking to Rose about his new baby who he had with his mistress Alberta,Show MoreRelatedFences : 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 MoreFences, By August Wilson1104 Words   |  5 PagesAfrican-Americans during the middle of the twentieth century were treated differently than those of the white population. Fences, a play by August Wilson, demonstrates the frustration of white dominance during a time when African-Americans were secluded from society. The Maxson family are the main characters of the play, showing the life they lived in their black tenement in Pittsburg in the 1950s. The setting demonstrates the drama of their struggle, frustration, rebellion, and the predicamentsRead MoreAugust Wilson Fences984 Words   |  4 Pa gesbecause in order to get what you want you have to fight for it. Two literary works that reflect this quote are Fences, a play about the struggles of African American before and during the Civil Rights Era in the 1950s and 60s, by August Wilson and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† a short story that shows the difference between women and men during that time, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. ‘Fences’ shows the revolution the characters face, their actions and what is the result of those choices. Whereas, ‘TheRead MoreThe Fences By August Wilson1813 Words   |  8 PagesIn the Fences, by August Wilson shows that life of African Americans in the U.S. in the 1950s with the story of Troy and his family. Wilson uses the symbol of the fence to show the desires of each character like Rose’s desire is to keep her family together, Troy’s desire is to keep death out and to be not bound forever, and Bono’s desire is to follow Troy, his best friend, as an example of the right way to live and to be with Rose and Troy who are basically his family. Rose and the other seen charactersRead MoreFences, By August Wilson807 Words   |  4 PagesFences â€Å"Some people build fences to keep people out...and other people build fences to keep people in† (61). In the play, Fences, by August Wilson who displays how fences symbolize different situations to represent different characters. The story takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1950’s, and in the play fences gives an outlook of providing an obstacle or barrier that is intended to keep something out or in. It shows through the protagonist character, named Troy Maxson and his wifeRead MoreFences by August Wilson883 Words   |  4 PagesFences, written by August Wilson, is a play about a man, named Troy, struggling to support his family during the late 1950’s. In this play, we see that Troy hurts the people closest to him. He has been uncaring towards his wife, Rose, his brother Gabriel and his son, Cory. This is because Troy had nothing to go on but the harsh example set by his father. In Fences, Troy has felt like he has been fenced in all of hi s life, which causes him to fence others in. Troy has felt fenced in all of his lifeRead MoreFences, By August Wilson895 Words   |  4 PagesFences written by August Wilson is an award winning drama that depicts an African-America family who lives in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania during the 1950’s. During this time, the Mason’s reveal the struggles working as a garbage man, providing for his family and excepting life as is. The end of segregation began, more opportunities for African American people were accessible. Troy, who’s the father the Cory and husband of Rose has shoes fill as a working African America man. He is the family breadwinnerRead MoreFences, August Wilson1835 Words   |  8 PagesAs illustrative of the kind of analysis I would bring to Fences, by August Wilson, if my bid to direct is successful, O prose to take direction for a part of Act 1, Scene 3 of the play. This will include possible blocking, camera work, music, and what the actor should be feeling and experiencing while acting the par t. I will examine how crucial it is that the actors portray their characters effectively, and I will offer commentary to assure just that. On the basis of these findings I will determineRead MoreSymbolism In Fences By August Wilson1460 Words   |  6 PagesKeep Love in or Lock it Out?: An Analysis of Symbolism in Fences Symbolism is defined as an artistic and poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. In Fences by August Wilson, symbolism is used heavily throughout the play in order to represent deeper meanings and add to the emotion of the storyline. In order for the play to have so much depth and emotion, symbolism is crucial to the work itself and the heavy topicsRead MoreFences by August Wilson1495 Words   |  6 PagesGrowing up, most parents want what is best for their children with the hope that they will lead a better life than the one they had. On the surface, this does not seem to be the case in the relationship between Troy and Cory in August Wilson’s Fences. Troy was a hardworking man who did all he can to provide for his family. Cory worked equally as hard in his athletic career. Troy made a decision to end Cory’s football career out of protection but Cory viewed it as his father’ s jealousy. Troy’s rough

A Comparison Of The Dead - 960 Words

moving onto another coffin. She now understood the reasons for this dinner. They had planned to undagger the original family in hopes that they would retaliate against Klaus for what he had done to them. She could see that Damon had let the dagger out of Rebekah. â€Å"How long will it take?† Damon asked Elijah. â€Å"Depends, everyone goes at their own pace.† â€Å"This isnt a track meet Elijah!† He snapped. â€Å"Lower you voice!† Elijah snapped back, in front of Damon now. â€Å"We have to go back downstairs.† Without another glance he walked past Damon, grasping Maddies hand so that she walked with him. The three of them entered the dining room, or whatever room it was to Klaus to see he and Stefan both standing. â€Å"What do you say Klaus?† Damon asked, â€Å"Time†¦show more content†¦Klaus held out his hand for Stefan to shake while the others watched. A frown was permanently fixed upon Damons face. Stefan grasped Klaus hand in his. Maddie was shocked, her mouth falling open. She never thought that they would actually accept the deal. â€Å"Nice try Klaus, but no deal.† She had to admit to herself, she should have known that was coming. She jumped back slightly as Klaus grasped Stefans hand so hard that he fell to his knees. Seconds later Klaus was sticking Stefan’s hand through the fire. Damon vampire sped over to try and aid his brother but Elijah went and slammed him against the wall, his hand around his throat. â€Å"What are you doing?† Asked Damon. Stefans screams filled the room. â€Å"STOP!† Damon yelled as Elijah released him. Klaus turned to them, â€Å"Now bring me my coffin before I burn him alive.† â€Å"Ill get it,† Damon said bumping against Elijah. â€Å"Go with him brother! You keep him honest. And when you return I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family.† Elijah said nothing but went and grabbed Maddies hand before they left the room together. Damon was no where to be seen but a door could be heard slamming, before Stefans screams sounded some more throughout the house. Elijah stood still for a moment, glancing down at Maddie before he vampire sped them upstairs to where the coffins and Damon were. It appeared that the youngerShow MoreRelatedA Comparison Of Dead Man Walking And Dead Man Walking1340 Words   |  6 Pagesdeath? Just that nobody comes back. Maybe death is a gift.† says David, in the movie the life of David Gale. Dead Man Walking and The Life of David Gale are two movies like a very alike yet very different. These movies are both great movies in their own way. The Life of David Gale and Dead Man Walking have an abundant amount of similarities and numerous differences. The movies Dead Man Walking is a 1995 American crime drama film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, and co-produced and directedRead More A Comparison of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Dead Poets Society2182 Words   |  9 PagesOne Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Vs. Dead Poets Society      Ã‚   Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost) In todays world there is no tolerance for the individual thinker. It is not acceptable to modify or bend the rules of society. Society is civilized, and to be civilized there must be rules, regulations and policies that prevent. Individuality leads to a mess of chaos. To prevent disorder, institutions inRead MoreComparison Between 12 Angry Men And Dead Poets Society1875 Words   |  8 Pages12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society Deconstruction In the movies 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society, there were many leadership traits that became evident as each movie progressed. . Both movies provide similar, yet different, examples of contingency, transformational, and authentic leadership; as well as Aristotle’s Rhetoric related to persuasion. As a leader you will need to know what kind of leadership trait to employ when dealing with a diverse group of people because if you cannot, you willRead MoreHerman Melville s Bartleby The Scrivener1455 Words   |  6 Pagesand â€Å"...with this man, or rather ghost.† This continues to restrict the reader from siding with Bartleby and is further implicated with the narrator s description: â€Å"...that for long periods he would stand looking out, at his pale window behind the dead brick wall...that he had declined telling who he was, or whence he came from, or whether he had any relatives in the world; that though so thin and pale, he never complained of ill health.†(32) The act of declining telling who he was, whereRead MoreLeningrad Cemetery, Winter of 1941 Analysis Essay597 Words   |  3 Pagesmeaning of this poem. The way that she writes about this battle paints a very clear picture in my mind of what she is describing. Many times thorough the poem, Olds compares life and death many times with different comparisons. Olds starts off the poem by saying: â€Å"That winter, the dead could not be buried.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(1) This creates a sad tone for when the rest of the poem. She then talks about the atmosphere of the aftermath of the battle with words that help you create a very vivid picture in your headRead MoreChief Seattle Essay1179 Words   |  5 Pagesproclaims that the American God â€Å"loves your people and hates us†, while his own God â€Å"seems†¦to have forsaken† Seattle’s people. Seattle then sums up this comparison between their two different Gods by asserting that his people and the Americans are â€Å"two distinct races with separate origins and separate destinies†. Seattle uses this simple, yet brash, comparison to suddenly discourage the Americans from touching his land. At the same time though, Seattle is not pushing away the Americans because they’re aRead More Old Man and the Sea Concludes with Santiagos Death Essay530 Words   |  3 PagesOld Man and the Sea Essay It is believable that Santiago is dead at the end of The Old Man and the Sea. This conclusion can be deduced from the various hints Hemingway used throughout the novel. The foreshadowing of Santiago’s death, his comparison to Christ, and his bad luck helps one decipher that the death of the old man took place at the end of the book. First, something that leads the reader to believe that Santiago is dead at the end of the book is foreshadowing. One event that foreshadowedRead MoreConventions of a Shakespeare Tragedy1189 Words   |  5 PagesTybalt which caused a huge conflict and after that they wanted Romeo dead (Romeo and Juliet’s Tragic Flaw). Some other flaws with Romeo besides spontaneity Romeo thought he had to always have her and if she was dead he would kill himself (Romeo and Juliet’s Tragic Flaw). Romeo was foolish he killed himself when he saw Juliet dead but in the end she was not really dead but when she saw Romeo was dead she killed herself. The comparison between Othello and Romeo and Juliet is Othello and Romeo is bothRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Lord George Gordon Byron: Capturing the Painful Pangs of Love Through Poetry1596 Words   |  7 PagesLord Byron uses many literary devices. Lord Bryon’s poems portray the dull ache and heart break associated with falling out of love; he develops this theme through the use of euphemisms, comparisons and contrasts. Lord Byron extensively uses euphemisms in his poems â€Å"We’ll Go No More A-roving† and â€Å"Thou Art Dead As Young And Fair† to soften the literal meaning behind his poems. In â€Å"We’ll Go No More A-roving† the euphemisms allows Bryon to repeat the dilemma the speaker is in without being monotonousRead MoreBudgeting Is A Essential Component Of The Operations Of Any Business907 Words   |  4 Pagesexpenditures the business incurs. Therefore, the quarterly financial statement presents financial data for analysis in timely manner for stakeholders, both internal and external (Ingram, n.d.). Furthermore, the information gained from quarterly comparisons provides a useful mode for viewing any trends, in addition to measuring business performance in relation to the business goals. The following data for the first and second quarters reflects the current conundrum our business faces. The cash for

Nonverbal Communication as a Barrier of Intercultural...

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION AS A BARRIER OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION NAME : M DHONI PERDANA CLASS : PBI-3C NIM : 09202241054 ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT YOGYAKARTA STATE UNIVERSITY 2011 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND Culture is a complex concept. There are various definitions of culture, ranging from broad to narrow. Moreover, the concept of culture changes as society develops. Presently, many definitions of culture indicate the close relationship between culture and communication. With the continuous development of society, communication between different nations becomes increasingly significant. It is a dynamic process characterized by continuous information exchange between people of different cultural backgrounds. During the†¦show more content†¦In other words, culture plays an important role in communication. Communication is one of the basic needs of human beings. It is also difficult to find a single definition of communication. There are two types of communication, verbal and nonverbal. People usually express themselves through the combination of verbal and nonverbal messages. People are more willing to believe nonverbal messages when verbal and nonverbal messages are inconsistent. Nonverbal communication by means of facial expressions, eye behavior, gestures, posture. Body language expresses emotions, feelings, and attitudes, sometimes even contradicting the messages conveyed by spoken language. Some nonverbal expressions are understood by people in all cultures; other expressions are particular to specific cultures. Nonverbal communication is just as important -- if not more so -- than verbal communication. The way you sit or stand, the tone of your voice, and your general physical behavior are all manners of communication. Non-verbal communication is especially significant in intercultural situations. Probably non-verbal differences account for typical difficulties in communicating. Many scholars and researchers show more interest in nonverbal communication between different cultures than verbal communication because they believe people express their attitude and intention more through nonverbal rather than verbal means. Gunawan (2002) points out that some non-verbal signs popularShow MoreRelatedIntercultural Communication And Nonverbal Communication Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Intercultural communication is a complex concept that encompasses and links to many other theories such as racism and verbal and nonverbal communication. Differing languages can dramatically affect intercultural communication between individuals due to language barriers however, due to some individuals uneducated and ignorant understanding of differing languages, it can also have other, more serious and negative consequences such as racism and discrimination of others. The links betweenRead MoreThe Importance Of Nonverbal Communication1056 Words   |  5 PagesCommunication has been described as a flow of information between two parties principally between a source and a receiver. Communication is a any behavioral approach that can come in the verbal, nonverbal or graphic form that is sent by one and receive by another. Communication demonstrates our ability to interact and influence others in a useful way. Successful people are not only proficient in their own fields but also commu nication oriented and possessed a quality to demonstrate professional behaviorRead MoreThe Right Kind Of Care795 Words   |  4 PagesRight Kind of Care Cultural identities and our personalities affect our perceptions. There’s a tendency to favor others who exhibit cultural or personality traits that match up with our own. Effective communication with people of different cultures can be especially challenging. Intercultural communication occurs when a member from one culture produces a message that absorbed by a member of another culture. As stated by (Jandt, 2015), â€Å"human perception is usually thought of as a three-step process ofRead MoreIntercultural Communication : Communication And Communication975 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Barriers to intercultural communication in the classroom settings ,the reason for picking this is because there are so many interesting ways you can turn this to in this paper .In a way that I am going to focus on the classroom setting of the barriers to intercultural communication between different cultures is a major topic for communication theorists. Today, both cultural and communication has evolved considerably and have become interdependent of one another. Intercultural communication isRead More The Effect of Cultural Difference on Intercultural Marriage Essay1240 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effect of Cultural Difference on Intercultural Marriage As the world integrates, more and more people are leaving their mother lands to visit, study and work overseas. Young people now have more opportunities to meet prospective partners from other cultures than they had in the past. â€Å"The number of intercultural couples is increasing worldwide.† (Klein, par.3) Many intercultural couples claim that their relationships do not differentiate from monoculture relationships at first. PassionateRead MoreThe Reality Of The Television Series Lost1233 Words   |  5 Pagesin the television series Lost. Lost demonstrates many concepts of communication, especially throughout the nineteenth episode. Concepts such as selective perception, intercultural communication, task specific touch and nonverbal communication with posture are present as the characters interact. Prior to boarding their flight, the characters had no inkling as to what would come and how they would have to master effective communication skills. A plane from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, CaliforniaRead MoreIntercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks By Samovar, Porter, Mcdaniel Roy1267 Words   |  6 PagesIntercultural Communication Introduction According to the articles Intercultural communication stumbling blocks by Barna and Intercultural communication by Samovar, Porter, McDaniel Roy, describe the various challenges that are faced between communications of two individuals who come from different cultures. Notably, challenges that are faced by different people who come from different cultures exist due to the problem of the difference between the cultural norms. For instance, what is acceptableRead MoreCo-Cultures in a Multicultural Society Paper1314 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Æ' Co-Cultures in a Multicultural Society Paper The movie Fools Rush In is a great example of how gender as well as cultural differences can hinder communication in a multicultural society. Fools Rush In is about two people, Alex and Isabel, who come from two different cultural backgrounds who after a one night stand become pregnant and decide to get married. However, along with the marriage come compromises that include cultural traditions and personal sacrifices. The movie is a comedy but canRead MoreI Am An American Teenager With An Hispanic Background1076 Words   |  5 Pagesled to â€Å"complexities† in communication, a topic that LaRay M. Barna analyzes thoroughly in her article â€Å"Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks.† The â€Å"complexities† in communication that Barna addresses are spread into five stumbling blocks: language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, tendency to evaluate, and high anxiety. These five stumbling blocks can occur in any shape or form in c ommunication between two cultures. Language, nonverbal signs and symbols, as wellRead MoreCommunication Is The Most Vital Part Of Human Communicating Through Channels Of Different Cultures953 Words   |  4 PagesNon-verbal communication is not universal and often misunderstood. While understanding another culture dialect or accent appears difficult, the effects of non-verbal communication, directly or indirectly, is equally difficult and sometimes convey as offensive to someone from another culture. Although language has always been the most important form of communicating, this paper will explain how intercultural communication is the most vital part of human communicating through channels of different

Ethnicity, Race and Culture Austria Free Essays

Essay Topic I: Ethnicity, Race and Culture: Austria Austria is not a big country; it’s ranked on 115th place in total area and 92nd in total population. But not so long ago the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was one of the â€Å"big players† by the end of the 19th century in Europe. That Empire has been a mixture of many different and strongly varying cultures and ethnicities, which remains as one of the reasons why it probably fell apart and got divided into different nations. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethnicity, Race and Culture: Austria or any similar topic only for you Order Now So what is it now, that makes an Austrian an Austrian and why is he so much different than somebody from Hungary, Czech Republic or Germany; this is the main topic of this essay. The first part of the essay will give a short overview of what ethnicity, race and culture in general stands for. Therefor I will give a short introduction about these topics and try to explain how they are used today. Later on, my focus and the main part of this work will include aspects in which Austrian Culture influences people (in Austria and in general) and try to find answers to the question: â€Å"What is typically or specific for the Austrian culture and the national identity? â€Å" To make this essay a little bit more thought-provoking, I will divide the main part into two parts. The first will consist of features which I perceive from being an Austrian citizen; the second part will attempt to give an indication of features that caught the attention of people who were not born or raised in Austria. Before I start with my major writing, first a short anecdote about the Austrian dialect, which is, let us say, an indicator for Austria’s culture and race: â€Å"The Austrian dialect is about as pretty because the talk resistant changes between self-indulgence and pulling oneself together back and forth play. It thus allows an irreplaceable wealth of right projecting temper. † This short quote from the German author and poet Christian Morgenstern gives already very precise and helpful â€Å"informations† about culture in Austria. To understand what the author was trying to say with this quote you have to appreciate the remarkable gap that lies in between Austrian and German culture. Even though most people in the world (if they even know where Austria is located! ) think of Austrian Culture as a very similar to the German culture, which might be not even so far away from the truth but indeed, there are important and noteworthy differences. One of them is that Austrians can be projected with the adjectives â€Å"cozy†, â€Å"comfy† and â€Å"unhurried† compared to the adjectives Germans are illustrious for in the world, such as â€Å"detailed†, â€Å"precise† and â€Å"hardworking†. From my point of view it is quiet right to say that a big part of the Austrian Culture lies somewhere in between, and that is what Christian Morgenstern was trying to say with his quote. But before I go too deep, let us start from the very beginning: What is culture? Well, this is not an easy question to answer because there are various definitions for this word. I will state here two different definitions of culture. Geert Hofstede defined a very common set of models for international cultures. For him culture â€Å"is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of on human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values. † (Hofstede 1990, p. 20) Whereas Edgar Schein, who was written one of the best and informative books on organizational culture, defines culture â€Å"as the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization that operate unconsciously and define in a basic `taken for granted? fashion an organization’s view of itself and its environment. † (Schein 1994, p. 7) From these two definitions it is already quite obvious that culture has very much to do with groups. A basic need of groups is the ability to communicate, both at a superficial level (for which ordinary language largely suffices) and also at a deeper level of meaning. At this deeper level, words, actions and things can become filled with special and specific meaning f or the group, such as group-specific jargon and language, rituals for greetings, meetings and other group processes and last but not least artwork and artifacts that symbolize and remind the group of their history (cf. Schein 1994, p. 24;25). And Austria has a long history with a rich tradition. Austria’s geographical location at the crossroads of Europe determined its historical multiethnic makeup. As Austria is comprised with nine provinces and bordered by eight countries with their own distinctive cultures, the people of each province tend to be different. Surrounded by so many other cultures, Austria has often been subjected to cultural â€Å"invasions†, which are the source of the differences among the provinces. Another source of the diversity is the Alps, which cover 62 percent of the country. The distinctions also occurred because different groups settled in Austria. In addition to the Celts, Romans, Hungarians, and Germanic groups, many groups from central Europe arrived during the Middle Ages. Now we have defined Austria’s conditions of culture and its heritage. Let us move to the next important topic: â€Å"National Identity†. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, identity is defined as â€Å"those attributes that make you unique as an individual and different from others† or â€Å"the way you see or define yourself†. Identity can therefore be seen as the positioning of the â€Å"self† as opposed to the â€Å"others†. This concept refers to individual rather than to collective identity and may be determined by the gender as well as the territorial, cultural, social, religious, ethnic, linguistic and national identity (cf. Smith 1991, p. 15). Going beyond individual identity to collective identity and approaching the concept of national identity, the definition gets more complex. It is not about identifying a single individual, but about detecting characteristics of a whole center of population. In another approach, the second construct, the nation can be defined as â€Å"an extensive aggregate of persons, so closely associated with each other by common descent, language, or history, as to form a distinct race or people, usually organized as a separate political state and occupying a definite territory† (The Oxford English Dictionary 1933, p. 30). So now we have well-defined the terms culture and national identity and these definitions leave very much space open to examine the Austrian lifestyle and culture. Therefor it is very difficult to answer questions like â€Å"What is typically Austrian? † without generalizing excessively. The struggle lies in the problem, that if you have grown up in a place, you perceive many things differently than foreigners would and, which makes the situation even more complicated, you don’t notice things foreigners might consider odd. To me, the situation is a little bit easier; I was born in Croatia and moved to Austria when I was 5 years old, so I am able to take both sides of observation, the inside and the outside. My first part of observation about the â€Å"Austrian soul† precedes me to the baroque and catholic legacy that, I think, goes hand in hand with Austrian Culture and National Identity. This means that Austrian society is strongly influenced by a baroque, Catholic tradition that is fairly subtle in terms of actual religious life (only 7 percent of all Austrians attend a weekly service, which is Western-European standard; in Poland it is 20 percent, in the United States of America 40 percent! ). Nevertheless, the tradition of strong family ties, opulent architecture, food and feasts, as well as celebrations and ceremonies is something I see as concerned with the Catholic legacy of the country. Formality and certain ways in which you engage with people socially is very hierarchical and much stricter regulated than in English speaking countries. Families receive significant public benefits for staying with newborn babies for two years and employees are required to secure a mother? s (or father? s, but that is still very uncommon in Austria) job for three years. This leads directly to the very next shaping factor in Austria, the socialist tradition. The socialist tradition of the country is mostly based on the reforms of the1970ies. Education is more or less free from primary school to university (when a conservative government started charging about 700 Euros in fees per year, there were many demonstrations all over Austria). Health care is public. Transportation, culture and arts, libraries and other infrastructure is heavily funded by the public. That has significant social implications: Austria? s university graduates are among the oldest in Europe (in 2005, the average age of receiving the first degree was 27) and its retirement age is among the lowest. For several years, the political trend is to cut the social system down and liberalize the country economically. Many Austrians find the sheer thought of responsibility and initiative distressing, though. Austrians also have a reputation for being conservative and xenophobic, especially Germans like to think of us as a hostile, grumpy bunch (which we might well be with respect to Germans). The political spectrum of Austria is in fact shifted slightly to the right compared to Germany: The German conservatives are the â€Å"rightest† party, whereas Austrian populists standing clearly right of the conservatives have pioneered populist political movements in Europe. To understand this, I think it is necessary to distinguish between political contents on one hand and political style on the other. In terms of actual content, the rightwing populists of Austria (and of other European countries) are not necessarily more radical than the Tories in the UK or even the democrats in the US. In terms of style, Austrians have very little constraints when it comes to being straight-forward and public statements are often made by Austrians that would be regarded as being highly politically incorrect in many other countries, despite of being wide-spread views. Another mechanism that came up my mind while writing this essay is that Austrian people have original views in foreign things. I think that there are several reasons for this. Partly it? s the Austrian mentality to rant openly about whatever bothers you. Partly – especially with rightwing issues – it is also that Austria defined itself with the aid of Western nations as the first victim of Nazi Germany, completely failing to acknowledge the role as a major culprit, which it also had, until into the 1980ies. There was much less of a progressive turnover than in Germany after the war. But the key-question remains: Are Austrians more xenophobic, racist, Semitic than the rest of Europe? Drawn from own experiences and those of friends from other countries, I would say â€Å"most likely not†. As everywhere, cities are more open and cosmopolitan than rural communities. As everywhere, education makes people more tolerant. But just because it is quite likely to hear from an Austrian a grumpy complaint about Eastern-European burglars, Turkish youngsters molesting people on the street or Nigerian asylum seekers selling drugs does not mean that such stereotypes don? t exist in other countries. Enforcing political correctness (socially or legally) fights symptoms, not causes. In terms of causes of intolerance, I don? t think that Austria is doing significantly better or worse than other Western countries. And the openness in talking about pretty much anything will at least allow you to listen to people and get a direct handle on what they honestly think. Another important aspect of the Austrian culture and its soul is the priority of domestic life. Austrians love to build, repair, extend, maintain, refurbish or modernize their houses. They also love gardening and spend ours in garden centers. Houses and gardens are important social stages for dinner parties, BBQs or occasionally just staying in and watch TV. Garden-culture is something you find everywhere in Europe, the obsession with house-building and fixing is a more continental or even Germanic manner (a variation of the same principle is â€Å"washing the car†). The priority that homes and families have for Aust rians might contribute to the stereotype of the bourgeois mountain people. Speaking of mountains: The natural beauty of the country gave rise to a pronounced outdoors culture. Mountaineering, skiing, rock climbing, paragliding, cycling, skiing, camping, skiing, swimming, just strolling and – of course – skiing are really big in Austria and we love to spend our weekends climbing pretty much any hill-resembling thing pointing out of the landscape. Then we sit on top of it, drink beer and watch the valleys. From my point of view, I don’t think there? s a rational reason why we are doing this. A colleague of mine once tried to explain it with a nation-wide UV light addiction; others think it? s coffee and â€Å"Red Bull† that drive us up the hills. Probably all nonsense. In the end, and I am only guessing here, we climb mountains simply because we can. This was the first part as to give my perspective of what is typically Austrian from the view of an Austrian. My next part should be seen as a form of an outside view of how Austrian people and their behavior are seen in the rest of the world. However, I am often amused by the little things that foreigners notice as typically Austrian. Having grown up in the country myself, I often take things as natural or granted that are somewhat odd to an outsider? s eye. From talking to people that have been to this country before, I have learned about the Austria-specificity of a range of features. Long conversations with a friend from Germany revealed a lot of Austrian culture to me that I had previously been unaware of. This included one of his observations on the way people in Austria attribute certain habits and features to the origin on a person: If somebody is Tyrolean, he is expected to like hiking, be conservative and hate Italians. Carinthian accents are immediately associated with ski- and surf-instructors, alongside with their stereotypical courtship behaviors. If somebody acts provincially in Vienna and it turns out that he is Upper Austrian, everybody goes â€Å"Ah, that? s why†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . According to my friend, the â€Å"tribal affiliation† of the Austrians is much more pronounced than in Germany. Something that I have been already aware but not considered as typically Austrian is the love to their titles and degrees. Austria has an impressive list of 819 titles and degrees. Many people get their title or academic degree included in their passports and they even a master (â€Å"Magister†) degree is written before the name. Most titles are used instead of a name when referring to a person directly, for example â€Å"Herr Magister† or â€Å"Frau Doktor†. Recent years saw the arrival of the Anglo-American â€Å"MA†, â€Å"PhD† or other â€Å"new† degrees. Most elderly Austrians are confused by these and try to translate them. This leads me to my last feature of Austrian behaviors that I concluded while talking to foreign friends of me. If you ask Austrians about an upper-class, it is likely that they will look at you somewhat confused and refer you to the wide middle-class and the longstanding socialist traditions that effectively eliminated at least the most pressing poverty. Upper-class as a concept is something strange to Austria – and yet there are few countries that have a stronger correlation in education or income and life expectancy, income of children, social status, and so on, than the German-speaking countries. I am always fascinated how well the upper-class is ignored in Austria and yet maintains its behavioral and social rituals that often date back to the days of the monarchy. If an Austrian tells you that there is no real upper-class in this country, ask how many friends he has that went to one of Vienna? international schools; ask about the last time he went to the Salzburg Festival; if he would feel comfortable dining and using the correct cutlery in one of Salzburg? s top-restaurants; or if he has heard of the â€Å"Adelsclubs† of Vienna (associations for Austria? s ex-nobility). Austria has a long history with a long tradition. For the development of Culture and National Identity this is a very significant aspect, also when talking about what is typically for Austrians. Even to myself, as I already ive here for 20 years, there are facets about the Austrian culture that have not been revealed to me so far. Through attending numerous sociological classes and talking to friends from Austria but also from foreign countries, I was able to get a profounder and closer look on what makes an Austrian an Austrian and that there are reasonable explanations for certain aspects and behaviors. This will be important for further investigations, because I think that Austria’s culture (and every culture worldwide) is just about to experience major changes. Factors like immigration, migration and especially the immense changes we are going through thanks to globalization and all the issues that come with it, will show if historically grown cultures have the capability to survive such a thriving and lavish lifestyle, as we are experiencing right now in the western Words: 2. 965 Words: 2. 965 hemisphere. References: Austrian Culture. Hephaestus Books, 2011 Brown, Andrew;  Organizational Culture. Pitman, London, 1995 Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC, 2010 Lichtenberger Elisabeth; Austria: Society and Regions. Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2000 Schein, Edgar; Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, 1994 [Paperback] Simpson, John; Weiner, Edmund; The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 1989 Stein R. Conrad; Austria. Enchantment of the World Series. Children’s Press, 2000 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Available from: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/Nationalism [Accessed April 2012] Culture and quality: an anthropological perspective Available from: http://intqhc. oxfordjournals. org/content/16/5/345. full [Accessed April 2012] Wikipedia, Austria, last modified on 21 April 2012 Available from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Austria [Accessed April 2012] ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Wikipedia, Austria [ 2 ]. Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet (1871-1914) [ 3 ]. Brown, Andrew,  Organizational Culture. Pitman, London, 1995 [ 4 ]. Schein, Edgar, Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, 1994 [ 5 ]. Wikipedia [ 6 ]. Lichtenberger Elisabeth; Austria: Society and Regions. Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2000 [ 7 ]. Stein R. Conrad; Austria. Enchantment of the World Series. Children’s Press, 2000 [ 8 ]. Lichtenberger Elisabeth; Austria: Society and Regions. Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2000 [ 9 ]. Austrian Culture. Hephaestus Books 2011 [ 10 ]. Austrian Culture. Hephaestus Books 2011 [ 11 ]. Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC 2010 [ 12 ]. Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC 2010 [ 13 ]. Culture of Austria-Hungary. General Books LLC 2010 How to cite Ethnicity, Race and Culture: Austria, Essay examples

Attitudes to Women in Pride and Prejudice free essay sample

The first mention of women appears in the very first sentence of Pride and Prejudice: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. This rather plainly expresses women not simply on their own, separate from men, but as wives. Jane Austen goes on the write, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some or other of their daughters. This goes to show that parents were quite willing to marry off their daughters to a man simply because he as a wealthy gentleman. There is not a word of his character or to his general disposition, no question of whether or not he could make their daughter happy, or if she could ever love him. Marriage was, as Mr Collins later proves, a business transaction. This was not because parents did not care for their daughters, it was simply because unless a woman had her own financial means, as Lady de Bourgh does, she had no option but to marry a man who could support her and provide her with a house and such securities. Other alternative was to become a governess, hich was not desirable. In Shirley by Charlotte Bronte Mrs Pryor (who was a governess herself) spends a great deal of energy trying to dissuade Caroline Helstone from becoming a governess. Governesses, she observed, must ever be kept in a sort of isolation All I mean to say, my dear, is, that you had better not attempt to be a governess, as the duties of the position would be too severe for your constitution. Not one word of disrespect would I breathe towards either Mrs. r Miss Hardman; only, recalling my own experience, I cannot but feel that, were you to fall nder auspices such as theirs, you would contend a while courageously with your doom: then you would pine and grow too weak for your work; you would come home if you still had a home broken down. Those languishing years would follow, of which none but the invalid and her immediate friends feel the heart-sickness and know the burden: consumption or decline would close the chapter. Su ch is the history of many a life: I would not have it yours. In that light marriage was the obvious choice. In the particular case of the Bennet family, the situation is even more dire than was sual. Mr Bennet had no heir. He had only five daughters, and the law of primogeniture stated that inheritance would be to the closest male relative. In this case, Mr Collins. As Mr Bennet says to Mrs Bennet one morning at the breakfast table, (the letter) is from my cousin, Mr Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases. Such was the reality of the matter. But for being obliged to marry, what else was expected of the Pride and Prejudices ladies? When Caroline Bingley speaks to Elizabeth Bennet on accomplished young adies she mentions the following requirements, A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, and the modern languages to deserve the word. Later on, when Lady Catherine de Bourgh questions Elizabeth Bennet about her family, she proves how little was expected from ladies by asking at different whether they were handsome, where they had been educated and then shortly afterward, Do you play and sing, Miss Bennet? Charlotte Bronte, in her novel Jane Eyre, has Mrs Reed tell Jane of the importance that she should acquire a more ociable and childlike disposition, a more attractive and sprightly manner something lighter, franker, more natural. In short, women were supposed to smile lots, not be too inquisitive (women who cultivated an interest in studying life and the world were scornfully termed bluestocking s), and to spend large quantities of time improving their French, their music, and their sketching abilities. If they had mastered these abilities, and possessed a certain something in (their) air and manner of walking, (their) tone of voice, (their) address and expressions they would not struggle overly much in finding a husband. Men, it would seem, were easy to please. Mr Bennet, a highly intellectual man with a very sharp wit and intuitive streak had strangely enough been captivated by (Mrs Bennets) youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give Had Mrs Bennet been a man he would probably have disliked her from the very first. However, since she was a woman, he did not expect any great things of her. Elizabeth is, most unfortunately, very intelligent. She breaks many social barriers by eing sharp and outspoken. Mrs Bennet cannot understand why her husband holds Lizzy in such high regard when she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia. Something more of quickness was not quite proper in a young lady, and definitely not thought of as any sort of accomplishment. Lady de Bourgh is disgusted at Lizzys readiness of tongue and exclaims, Upon my word! You give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Lizzy is appreciated only by Jane, her father, and Mr Darcy, all of whom are intuitive and intelligent people. Mr Bennet and Mr Darcy are both not conformers to society and its biased views, and Jane is too sweet to dislike anybody. Women like Elizabeth had a hard time being intelligent and almost manly in their outlook on life. The general attitude then, can be described as a hope that women would be attractive and sprightly and not hope to be too enlightened. They should not dare to appear more intelligent than the superior sex, and should be accomplished in the proper manner. It was not too much to ask for, was it?