Exploring the relationship between Eddie and Catherine Essay Example for Free

Exploring the relationship between Eddie and Catherine Essay Exploring the relationship between Eddie and Catherine as it develops throughout the play  A View from the Bridge is a play centred around the life and loves of one man: Eddie Carbone. As the play develops, we see his personality become twisted, all because of the arrival of his wifes distant cousins. When Eddie finally realises and accepts what it is he feels, disaster strikes and inevitable tragedy occurs. Written by one of the most infamous playwrights of the 20th Century, Arthur Miller is a respected, intelligent and thought provoking man. This play is just an example of how someones life can be instantly changed simply by the arrival of another human being. From a caring, loving, protective uncle, the character of Eddie Carbone morphs into a monster of incestuous lust and violent anger. When we are first introduced to the characters of Eddie and Catherine, we are shown how intimate and secure their relationship seems on the surface. Although Catherine acts like a child, pretending that she has no idea about how the world around her works, Eddie knows that she is so much more than that, with a higher level of intelligence and a much brighter future. However, even though Eddie has a strong plutonic bond with his niece, he finds it difficult to show her how he feels. When he first speaks to her, saying, Where you goin all dressed up? he means for it to be advice, suggesting that she is dressed inappropriately and should consider wearing something else. However, it comes out more like a scalding, questioning her actions and the choices that she has made. From the beginning of the play, Catherine is strongly irritated by the way Eddie speaks to her, no matter how well he means. At this stage in the play, this irritability is irrelevant because the love between these two characters is too powerful for anything to break. During the current stages of their lives, their relationship is presently very strong and reliable. They both trust each other boundlessly and share a love that only they can feel. However, as the events in the storyline develop, so too does the stress between them which has been built up over the years. Because of the stress that is put forward to each of them, the characters soon begin to anger one another causing their seemingly unbreakable relationship to break. In the latter part of the first scene that Eddie and Catherine are in together, an argument develops about the choice of clothes that Catherine is wearing (a short skirt to be precise). Eddie claims that she has been walking wavy whilst going down the street. Again, even though he is trying to look out for her and offer her the best advice he can for her own good, the manner by which he speaks it is insulting, and this therefore causes Catherines confidence and self-assurance to shatter. This is only the beginning of the dramatic events that are going to happen. During the scene that features the introduction of Marco and Rodolfo to the Carbone family, Eddie feels a further need to embarrass Catherine even more than what he has done previously. As she walks into the room wearing her high-heeled shoes, Eddie comments on them: Whats with the high heels, Garbo? and later Do me a favour, will you? Go ahead. Catherines attempts at trying to defend herself are faltered because she is so powerless when Eddie tells her what to do. This shows us that Eddie doesnt want other males looking at Catherine in a sexually attractive fashion, and this is also the first telltale sign of Eddies incestuous feelings towards his niece due to his blatant portrayal of jealousy. Even though Catherine is enraged by his comments and extremely embarrassed, she somehow manages to find it in her heart to forgive him. This proves the strength of their relationship at the moment, showing that it takes a lot more than that for their relationship to be destroyed. This emphasises the fact that Eddie and Catherine have a mutual, almost telepathic, understanding of each other. When we see Alfieri on stage after this scene, he discusses the issues that have yet to pass between the family, suggesting that Eddie has an inevitably tragic destiny, which comes as a result of his perverted feelings towards Catherine.  Much later in the play, during the scene where Catherine and Rodolfo are coming home from the cinema, we see a side to Eddie that further emphasises his twisted, incestuous feelings towards his innocent niece. The manner in which he speaks to them pronounces his jealously of Rodolfo more than anything previously said in the play. Rodolfo. Go inside, will you? Eddie uses these words as a desperate attempt at trying to get Catherine by herself, and when I doesnt work the first time, he starts to mildly insult Rodolfo, by saying such things as (smiling unwillingly) Fountains? (Rodolfo smiles at his own naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½vetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½) and tries to mock him and his origin. Once Eddie finally manages to be alone with Catherine, his real feelings towards her start to unmeaningly surface. When hearing her say the she likes Rodolfo, his mood turns from bad to worse. Currently, it seems that as Catherine and Rodolfos relationship develops, so too does her relationship with Eddie deteriorate. Eddie tries to use everything he has to change Catherines opinion on Rodolfo, such as he has no respect for him despite everything he has helped him with, and saying that he dont bless me. Eddie uses the fact that Rodolfo doesnt bless him in the false hope that it might make Catherine think about whether he blesses her, however nothing Eddie could say at this point would make her think differently. Eventually, he starts to make up lies about how Rodolfo reacts, by saying such things as He dont respect you, and He knows I mind, but it dont bother him. But sadly, deep down Eddie knows that nothing he says will change Catherines feelings, towards himself or for Rodolfo. At this point in the play, we can see the first signs of Catherines independent feelings blossoming and how the fear and control that Eddie once had over her falling apart. She is able to stand up to Eddie and promote her feelings, no matter what he thinks about them or tries to do to change them. She even has enough confidence built up inside of her to ask Eddie Why? when it comes to explaining why he doesnt like Rodolfo. Before we even reach the second act in the play, we have seen Catherine develop from an innocent little girl that followed orders from her uncle, to a now independent young woman who wants answers from that once domineering uncle.

Symbolic Speech Should Be Protected -- mh

Why Symbolic Speech Should Be Protected 1. The measure of a great society is the ability of its citizens to tolerate the viewpoints of those with whom they disagree. As Voltaire once said, â€Å"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it† (Columbia). This right to express one's opinion can be characterized as â€Å"freedom of speech.† The concept of â€Å"freedom of speech† is a Constitutional right in the United States, guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution: â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (U.S. Constitution). Because it is a Constitutional right, the concept of freedom of speech is hardly ever questioned. â€Å"On its most basic level [freedom of speech] means you can express an opinion without fear of censorship by the government, even if that opinion is an unpopular one† (Landmark Cases). However, the actions of Americans that are included under â€Å"free speech,† are often questioned. Many people support the theory of â€Å"free speech,† but may oppose particular practices of free speech that personally offend them. This hypocrisy is illustrated by the case of Neo-Nazis whose right to march in Skokie, Illinois in 1979 was protested by many, but ultimately successfully defended by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The residents of this predominantly Jewish town which contained many Holocaust survivors were offended by the presence of the Neo-Nazis. However, then ACLU Executive Director Aryeh Neier, who... ...sday . 27 February 2003. Pedulla, Tom. â€Å"Spurning anthem creates rancor.† USA Today. â€Å"Texas v. Johnson.† (1989). â€Å"Landmark Supreme Court Cases.† â€Å"Thomas Search Engine.† Library of Congress. â€Å"Tinker v. Des Moines.† (1969). Landmark Supreme Court Cases. â€Å"United States v. O'Brien.† (1968). â€Å"U.S. Constitution.†

Decisions together to make our performance stronger Essay

The ‘development’ process in drama is where as an actor or director a person looks, in depth, at the meaning of the plot, the feelings created by this and the stage directions and uses or implements these in his or her own dictation of the scene to his or her own taste and liking. Development can also be achieved in groups where, as diplomacy, we can decide on which aspects of the script we wish to implement and which stage directions we also wish to implement or create so as to better perform a section, or whole, of a play in the surroundings and set provided. In this case I developed my section of the script (pages 70-71) in a group of two, where we made choices and decisions together to make our performance stronger and to make the performance work and flow more easily. Shortly after we began to rehearse, we decided that it would be better if the actor playing ‘Mickey’ in the section, which was myself, began the scene sitting, so that we could add levels into the performance and so that the mood of Mickey and the entire scene came across as a contrast between the joy of Edward and the depression of Mickey. Another reason we chose to add levels to the performance (from the beginning) was so that we could show the difference in class between Mickey and Edward. We had no costumes so we were forced to show the upset and depression of Mickey purely with expressions and in posture and position. Where as, we had to show the happiness and excitement from Edward, which was far more easy to procure, in the way he moved around the stage quickly and also in happy expressions and in innocence (e. g. when Edward asked questions he needed to not understand Mickey, to not realise how he was feeling and so he needed to be very upbeat and confused). Another factor which came into our minds when rehearsing the section was the time of day we believed the section to have been set in and in this our opinions differed. My partner believed that the section happened in the day, with snow falling from the trees, creating a beautiful picture in the viewer’s mind which would have been spoiled by the upset of Mickey. However, I believed that the section would have taken place at night. The air would have been dark and smelt of gas and the area around Mickey would have been run-down and ‘worn-out’ so to speak. This would have, in my opinion, made Mickey’s story of unwork seem more plausible to the audience as they would have been able to feel the depression and coldness in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, being limited to the use of only lighting and minimal props we had to settle with the idea of dimmed lighting to show the depression, darkness and resentment in the atmosphere. As I mentioned before we decided to show the difference in moods between the characters in the section (Edward and Mickey) by their movements and actions and the speed of these. We chose to portray Mickey as a slow and upset figure, and this was because we saw that he was upset and depressed by not being in work and also, was jealous of Edward’s life at university and the money he had. We hoped that, by making Mickey slow and angry we could show how he felt inside to the audience without having to describe what had happened to him beforehand. On the other hand, we needed to show the excitement and happiness of Edward so as to give a full portrayal of the section. We decided that large amounts of fast movement was the best way to show how happy Edward was, when entering the scene, to see Mickey. Movement on stage (from one side to the other), coupled with various hand motions was also the way we decided to portray the excitement of Edward in the section. This said we had to remember that Edward didn’t need to move too much because this would make him look nervous or as if the actor playing him was his or herself nervous. Bearing this in mind we decided to make Edward move in his lines from one side of Mickey to the other, at the beginning of the section. As the section progressed we needed to show how the atmosphere and moods of the characters changed as they confronted one another and we decided to do this by slowing the movements of Edward and changing his actions and expressions to a more uneasy mood and also to change the mood of Mickey so that he was even more angry as Edward revealed the wonderful time he had been enjoying whilst he was away. For example, when Edward says the line: ‘Mickey, it’s fantastic. I haven’t been to so many parties in my life. And there’s just so many tremendous people, but you’ll meet them Mick, some of them, Baz, Ronnie and Clare and oh, lots of them. They’re coming over to stay for the New Year, for the party. Ooh it’s just . . . it’s great, Mickey. ‘ we decided that he should become happier and more excited and move more as the line goes on but that Mickey shouldn’t look at him but that he should become more and more angry in his expressions. Climaxing in perhaps hitting his leg or some other action to show frustration. Also, we decided that as Edward asks more and more questions Mickey should become more and more annoyed and that his speech should become more and more strained as if he is trying to withhold his anger but still remain seated. This is until the line: ‘You. You’re a dick head! ‘ where we believe that Mickey should stand and shout the line to contrast from the rest of his speech and to show his anger at Edward in full, for the first time. We decided that, in Edward’s next speech he should still sound innocent and speak as if he knows everything about being poor and face the audience, sounding proud and sure of himself. Whilst this happens Mickey would become more and more annoyed at him but now speak more calmly, as if he has regained control of his rage. As the section concludes I think that Mickey should perhaps ‘mock’ Edward for ‘still being a kid’ etc. And this would show how he has changed, to contrast from how he was Edward’s best friend. Mickey should talk as if disgusted at Edward but remaining calm and envious of him. Oppositely, Edward, as the scene concludes, should turn from being innocent and confused to turn and be on the verge of anger. The line: ‘I’m exactly the same age as you, Mickey’ should be portrayed with a slight hint of anger towards Mickey from Edward. However, after this, Edward should become calm again and then change, as Mickey announces his last line, so that he seems upset and on the verge of tears. In the last line, Mickey should begin facing Edward but as the line moves on he should turn to face away from him, half to the audience, half to the other side of the stage and Edward should stare at his back so that we can see the expressions they expose. Both should be upset, Mickey should sound harsh but actually be upset about what he is saying and Edward should just be upset so the audience can see the brothers, separated and see them upset. In the pause, both of the characters should remain still, Edward staring at Mickey and Mickey staring at the audience. Then, as the pause ends, Mickey should turn to face Edward and shout the final line: ‘Go on . . . beat it before I hit y† and, at this point, there should be another pause. After this Edward would slowly back away and Mickey should turn again to face the audience. Both characters should have expressions of upset on their faces to show how the mood of the scene has changed. So that the audience can feel the upset and the separation of the brothers, the lights should fade so that a spot is left on each brother. This would not only portray the mood but would show how the brothers feel inside without each other.

Empiricism, Positivism, And Positivism Essay - 1421 Words

The Science is the idea that we need to understand and distinguish it from other kinds of investigation in the world. We also refer it as â€Å"empiricism†, the scientific way we gain our knowledge from experience. Empiricism is also a view that all kinds of knowledge come from, not just scientific knowledge. Scientific thinking and investigation have the same basic pattern as everyday thinking and investigation. (Godfrey-Smith, 9) Again, we call it â€Å"empiricism† in terms of philosophical way, but in earliest form, the â€Å"empiricism† was referred as â€Å"logical positivism†. Logical Positivism is a systematic reduction of all human knowledge to logical and scientific foundations. Thus, a statement is meaningful if it is either purely formal (essentially, mathematics and logic) or capable of empirical verification (Mastin,12) One of the most important American philosophers, W.V.O. Quine, creates the two dogmas of empiricism and logical positivism. The two dogmas that Quine attacked were the distinction between analytic and synthetic statements and the verification dogma of radical reductionism (Mattey,8) Quine discusses against both the dogmas, with two consequences: A blurring of the distinction between natural science and metaphysics and a turn toward pragmatism (Mattey,1) Although he made arguments on the dogmas of empiricism and logical positivism, Quine criticized on empiricism that the analytic and synthetic statements have definitions that are mere reports of the synonymy ofShow MoreRelatedConceptual Foundations Of Social Research Methods Essay1262 Words   |  6 Pagesdid the concept and ideology of positivism was first formulated? What need existed to have the ‘real’ reality explained? Could positivism be regarded as a misfit in the social sciences realm? And is positivism still relevant today given its evolution and shortcomings. In an attempt to provide a response to the aforementioned questions, David Baranov’s ‘Conceptual Foundations of Social Research Methods’, with special focus on Chapter 2 entitled â€Å"Logical Positivism† will be utilized to not only bringRead MorePhilosophy of Science in Social Research1455 Words   |  6 Pagescontinuously enriches itself with new dimensions and views about social world. Approaches of philosophy of science in social research There are certain approaches of philosophy of science in social research- * Realism * Empiricism * Positivism * Post positivism * Idealism * Rationalism * Functionalism * Structuralism * Utilitarianism * Instrumentalism * Feminism * Materialism * Skepticism * Nomothetic and Ideographic * Solipsism * Atomism Read MoreLogical Positivists Of Logical Positivism Essay1204 Words   |  5 PagesGiven the presentation by Professor David Baranov, the arguments surrounding logical positivism were yet to be settled. It was very clear that this theory was still a work in progress. For what it is worth, it was a good attempt with respect to the general presentation of the conceptual framework. Much effort was spent on highlighting keynote points, varying eras and the associated happenings, arguments from and by each major proponent of the concept and an in depth account on the subject matterRead MoreLogical Positivism3339 Words   |  14 PagesAlso known as logical empiricism, rational empiricism or neo-positivism, logical positivism is the name given in 1931 by A.E Blumberg and Herbert Feigl to a set of philosophical ideas put forward by the Vienna Circle. This Vienna Circle was a group of early twentieth century philosophers who sought to re-conceptualize empiricism by means of thei r interpretation of then recent advances in the physical and formal sciences. Hence, the Vienna Circle represented a radical â€Å"anti-metaphysical† stance whichRead MoreEssay on A Philosophical Examination of Language3569 Words   |  15 Pagesto construct a system under which meanings can be discussed without danger of falling into circular or metaphysical traps. Two major approaches to this question have arisen in scientific circles of the twentieth century. Logical empiricism, also known as logical positivism, seeks to produce a language which consists of symbols combined precisely in accordance with specific rules; this would eliminate the philosophical convolutions that arise from the use of imprecise and confusingly ordered languageRead MoreAugust Comte- Zeitgeist2118 Words   |  9 Pagesnaturalistic positions led to the discovery of the field of social psychology. The zeitgeist contributed to the field of psychology by giving those who were living in these times the tools to be able to cope with the times in which they were living. Using positivism to explain how all things should be observed to gain all the facts was used by Auguste Comte, who developed this theory to explain social sciences so that they could reach a more advanced stage. The Victorian Era was an age of great learning becauseRead MoreGlycemic Control Of End Stage Renal Disease1277 Words   |  6 Pageslogical positivism and empiricism. The logical positivism requires understanding of the root of a cause versus empiricism uses scientific methods to search for truth. Therefore, the author will seek truth by evaluating the fact of quantitative measures like problem solving, scientific methods, numbers, values, concrete evidence, and different means of measurements (Butts Rich, 2015). The phenomenon of interest could utilize scientific methods and experiments of both logical positivism and empiricismRead MoreAlfred Jules Ayers Language, Truth and Logic, the Major Thesis on Logical Positivism of its Time982 Words   |  4 PagesAyer published a book named, Language, Truth, and Logic. At the time of its publication, it was understood to be the major thesis of Logical Positivism (Macdonald). In order to understand the Verification Principle, one must first become somewhat familiar with Logical Positivism. Logical Positivism is a school of philosophic thought that combines empiricism, the idea that observational evidence is indispensable for knowledge of the world, with a version of rationalism incorporating mathematicalRead MoreCritically Discuss the Contribution of Positivism to the Study of Society2274 Words   |  10 Pagesdiscuss the contribution of positivism to the study of society The positivist research method in the social sciences become more influential by August Comte, who tended to build a methodology based on facts rather than speculation. For Comte, the social sciences should concentrate on scientific laws rather than contemplation (Marcuse, 1941, p. 345). This theoretical perspective continues to be the present method of conducting research. This essay argues that positivism has accelerated the developmentRead MoreAnalysis of Rathenau Paper on Policy and the Evidence Beast1254 Words   |  6 Pagesquality of knowledge of a research paper published by the Rathenau Institute concerning evidence-based policy (Staman Slob, 2012). In order to conduct the analysis three main knowledge claims are identified which are subsequently analyzed with the positivism, critical rationalism and social-constructivism view on science as described and defined by Benton and Craib (2011). Diagnosed problems regarding evidence based policing Evidence-based policy can be defined as policy that is based on scientific