Insanity and the Necessity of Madness in King Lear Essay -- King Lear

The Necessity of Madness in King Lear At the beginning of â€Å"King Lear,† an authoritative and willful protagonist dominates his court, making a fateful decision by rewarding his two treacherous daughters and banishing his faithful one in an effort to preserve his own pride. However, it becomes evident during the course of the tragedy that this protagonist, Lear, uses his power only as a means of projecting a persona, which he hides behind as he struggles to maintain confidence in himself. This poses a problem, since the audience is prevented from feeling sympathy for the king. Shakespeare’s ironic solution is to allow Lear’s progressing madness to be paired with his recognition of truth, thereby forcing Lear to shed his persona, and simultaneously persuading the audience that Lear is worthy of pity. Lear is initially consumed by what Burton would refer to as the human appetite,[1] and exhibits traits indicative of someone dominated by the choleric humor: he is prideful, yearns for authority, and bullies others when he doesn’t get his way. After Cordelia refuses to dote on him in the first scene, he goes into a fit of rage: Let it be so; the truth then be thy dower†¦ Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood, And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this for ever. (I, i, 110-118) [2] Lear’s fury, however, only masks the fact that he is really a very needy person, consumed by an insatiable appetite for power and attention. As Bloom says, â€Å"Lear always demands more love than can be given.†[3] Lear proves this to be true when he repeatedly rejects those who love him most, banishing both Cordelia and Kent, who would protect him from his other two daughters’ impending betrayal. D... ...say (Trans.). The Republic of Plato: The Wisdom of Socrates as Recounted by His Pupil Plato. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1957. p.171. 6-Bloom, p. 482. 7-James Hutton (Trans.). Aristotle’s Poetics. New York: Norton & Company, Inc., 1982. p. 51. 8- Bruccoli, Clark, Layman â€Å"Aristotle,† in Bood, (ed.). Dictionary of Literary Biography: Ancient Greek Authors. Vol. 176 (1997), pp. 55-76. 9-Wilson Knight. â€Å"The Lear Universe† in The Wheel of Fire. London: Oxford University Press, 1930. p. 201 10- A.C. Bradley. Shakespearean Tragedy. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1961. p. 239. 11- Knight, p. 203. 12-William Shakespeare. As You Like It. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. p. 44. 13- T.S. Eliot. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. II (New York, WW.Norton, 19860. pp. 2174 ff. 14-Bradley, p. 242.

Notes on 5 Different Short Story

Notes on Short Story THE GIFT OF THE MAGI By O. Henry Date: 26 September 2012 Title: The Gift of the Magi Author: William Sydney Porter also known as O. Henry Background of the O. Henry: O. Henry was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Both his mother and father died before O. Henry turned 20. As a teenager, he worked as a pharmacist’s assistant in his uncle’s drugstore to help support his family. At age 19, he moved to Texas to take advantage of its warmth and dry climate. There he worked at a farm that belonged to a friend of his family’s. Vocabulary: * Instigates: To cause by incitement Subsiding: To sink to a low or lower level * Coax: To attempt to influence by gentle persuasion * Faltered: To hesitate or waver in action, purpose, intent, etc. * Ravages: To work havoc upon * Assertion: A positive statement or declaration, often without reason or support * Tresses: A plait or braid of hair * Ardent: Having, expressive of, or characteriz ed by intense feeling * Dandy: A man who is excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance * Manger: A box or trough in a stable or barn from which horses or cattle eat Setting: Christmas Eve, New York City Characters: Delia Young * James Dillingham Young * Madame Sofronie Literary Devices: * Allusion: â€Å"The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. † * Anadiplosis: â€Å"And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  * Polysyndeton: â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher. † * Personification: â€Å"The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent soul. † * Repetition: â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. * Simile: â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown wate rs. † * Metaphor: â€Å"Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. † * Situational Irony: Della receives combs for her hair that is no longer there. * Synecdoche: â€Å"White fingers and nimble tore the string and paper†¦Ã¢â‚¬  * Alliteration: â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles. † Symbolism: The symbolism in â€Å"The Gift of the Magi† is based upon the gifts given by Jim and Della. Both Jim and Della gave up a possession the forfeited the importance of the gift they would receive from their spouse.The gifts showing the importance of giving everything of themselves. Theme: * Love * Sacrifice * Wealth * Women and Feminity Point of View: Third Person THE NECKLACE BY: GUY DE MAUPASSANT Date: 10 October 2012 Title: The Necklace Author: Henri Rene Albert Guy De Maupassant Background of the Author: Henri Rene Albert Guy De Maupassant was born on August 5th, 1850 and was declared deceased on July 6th, 1893. He was a French writer known for his short stories, which painted the life of people in the 19th Century of France.He was prolific, published 300 short stories and 6 novels, but he died at a very young age due to physical and mental illness. Vocabulary: * Blundered: A gross, or stupid mistake * Wit: The keen perception and cleverly apt expression of those connections between ideas that awaken amusement and pleasure. * Antechambers: A chamber or room that serves as a waiting room and entrance to a larger room or an apartment * Peopling: Indefinitely or Collectively * Trifled: An article or thing of very little value Setting: Paris, 1880 Character: * Mathilde Loisel * Monsieur Loisel Madame Forestier Literary Devices: * Situational Irony * Authorial Intrusion * Anaphora * Alliteration Symbolism: The Necklace The necklace, beautiful but worthless, represents the power of perception and the split between appearances and reality. Mathilde wants to borrow the necklace from Madame Forestier, but she did not tell Mathilde that it was a fake. Mathilde never underestimated Madame Forestier due to her wealth. Themes: * Wealth * Women and Feminity * Pride * Suffering A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings By: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Date: 31 October 2012Title: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Background of the Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6th, 1928. He was a writer who grew up listening to family tales. His novels and > have drawn worldwide audiences. He won the Nobel Prize in 1982. After College, he became a journalist who introduced readers to magical realism. Vocabulary: * Stupor: Suspension or great diminution of sensibility; as in disease or as caused by narcotics, intoxicants, etc. Grandeur: The quality or state of being impressive * Dialect: A variety of language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary and by its use by a group of speakers who ar e set off from others geographically or socially. * Bailiff: An officer, similar to a sheriff or a sheriff’s deputy, employed to execute writs and processes, make arrests, keep order in the court, etc. * Reverence: A feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe * Frivolous: Characterize by lack of seriousness or sense * Robust: Strong and Healthy Impertinences: Unmannerly intrusion or presumption Setting: Characters: * The Old Man * Pelayo * Elisenda * Father Gonzaga * The Neighbor Woman * The Spider Woman Literary Devices: * Verbal Irony * Synesthesia * Magical Realism * Onomatopoeia * Allusion Symbolism: * Wings: Wings represent power, speed and limitless freedom in motion. Ironically, the wings of the angel in the story convey only a sense of age and disease. When the village doctor examines the old man, he notices how naturally the wings fit in with the rest of his body.The ultimate effect is to suggest that the old man is both natural and supernatural at once. * T he Spider Woman: The spider woman represents the fickleness with which many self-interested people approach their own faith. Not surprisingly, the old man’s reputation wanes when he proves capable of performing only minor â€Å"consolation miracles†. Themes: * Family * Moral * Religion * Magical Realism The Pedestrian By: Ray Bradbury Date: 7 November 2012 Title: The Pedestrian Author: Ray Bradbury Background of the Author: Ray Bradbury was born on August 22nd, 1920, Waukegan, Illinois.He was an American fantasy and horror author who rejected being categorized as a sci-fi author, claiming that his work was based on the fantastical and unreal. His best known novel is Fahrenheit 451. He is also remembered for other of his popular works including > and >. He was declared deceased just recently, June 5th, 2012 at the age of 91. Vocabulary: * Seams: The line formed by sewing together pieces of cloth, leather, or the like. * Intermittent: Stopping or ceasing for a time * Win try: Of or characteristic of winter * Doot: N/ASetting: November, 2053 A. D. Characters: * Leonard Mead Literary Devices: * Personification * Imagery * Symbolism * Simile * Metaphor * Alliteration * Irony Symbolism: On their way to the psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies, they pass Mead’s house. It is ablaze with lights in contrast to the dark city. It is a symbol of hope of vibrant life – light is a universal symbol of hope, but the car is swallowed up once more into the darkness, literally and figuratively. Themes: * Technology * Society loses its humanity * Mankind cease to exist * Distrust and Ultimate Destruction * Propaganda * Pessimistic

10 Silicon Facts (Element Number 14 or Si)

Silicon is element number 14 on the periodic table, with the element symbol Si. Here is a collection of facts about this interesting and useful element: Silicon Fact Sheet Credit for discovering silicon is given to  Swedish chemist Jà ¶ns Jakob Berzelius, who reacted potassium fluorosilicate with potassium to produce amorphous silicon, which he named silicium, a name first proposed by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808. The name derives from the Latin words silex or silicis, which mean flint. Its probable English scientist Humphry Davy may have isolated impure silicon in 1808 and  French chemists Joseph L. Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thà ©nard may have produced impure amorphous silicon in 1811. Berzelius is credited for the elements discovery because his sample was purified by repeatedly washing it, while earlier samples were impure.Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson named the element silicon in 1831, keeping part of the name Berzelius had given, but changing the ending of the name to -on because the element showed more similarities to boron and carbon than to the metals that had -ium names.Silicon is a metalloid, which means it has properties of both metals and nonmetals. Like other metalloids, silicon has different forms or allotropes. Amorphous silicon is usually seen as a gray powder, while crystalline silicon is a gray solid with a shiny, metallic appearance. Silicon conducts electricity better than nonmetals, yet not as well as metals. In other words, its a semiconductor. Silicon has a high thermal conductivity and conducts heat well.  Unlike metals, its brittle, and not malleable or ductile. Like carbon, it usually has a valence of 4 (tetravalent), but unlike carbon, silicon can also form five or six bonds.  Silicon is the second most abundant element on Earth by mass, making up over 27% of the crust. Its commonly encountered in silicate minerals, such as quartz and sand, but only rarely occurs as a free element. Its the 8th most abundant element in the universe, found at levels of about 650 parts per million. Its the principal element in a type of meteorite called aerolites.Silicon is needed for plant and animal life. Some aquatic organisms, such as diatoms, use the element to construct their skeletons. Humans need silicon for healthy skin, hair, nails, and bones, and to synthesize the proteins collagen and elastin. Dietary supplementation with silicon may increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.Most silicon is used to produce the alloy ferrosilicon. Its used to produce steel. The element is purified to make semiconductors and other electronics. The compound silicon carbide is an important abrasive. Silicon dioxide is used to make glass. Because silicate minerals are common, silicon oxides form rocks and are used to make glass and ceramics.Like water (and unlike most chemicals), silicon has a higher density as a liquid than as a solid.Natural silicon consists of three stable isotopes: silicon-28, silicon-29, and silicon-30. Silicon-28 is the most abundant, accounting for 92.23% of the natural element. At least twenty radioisotopes are also known, with the most stable being silicon-32 , which has a half-life of 170 years.Miners, stone cutters, and people who live in sandy regions may inhale large quantities of silicon compounds and develop a lung disease called silicosis. Exposure to silicon may occur by inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, and eye contact. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the legal limit for workplace exposure to silicon to  15  mg/m3  total exposure and 5  mg/m3  respiratory exposure for an 8-hour workday.Silicon is available at extremely high purity. Molten salt electrolysis of silica (silicon dioxide) or other silicon compounds can be used to obtain the element at 99.9% purity for use in semiconductors. The Siemens process is another method used to produce high purity silicon. This is a form of chemical vapor deposition where gaseous trichlorosilane is blown across a pure silicon rod to grow polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) with a purity of 99.9999%.   Silicon Atomic Data Element Name: Silicon Element Symbol: Si Atomic Number: 14 Classification: metalloid (semimetal) Appearance: Hard gray  solid with a silver metallic luster. Atomic Weight: 28.0855 Melting Point:  1414  oC, 1687 K Boiling Point:  3265  oC, 3538 K Electron Configuration:  1s2  2s2  2p6  3s2  3p2 Density: 2.33  g/cm3 (as a solid near room temperature); 2.57 g/cm3 (as a liquid at the melting point) Oxidation States: 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -3, -4 Electronegativity: 1.90 on the Pauling scale Atomic Radius: 111 pm Crystal Structure: face-centered diamond cubic Heat of Fusion: 50.21 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 383 kJ/mol Reference Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.