Flattery

Denmark before Hamlet’s death is considered by Shakespeare and prince Hamlet to be pure, essentially a representation of the divine Garden of Eden. However, similar to how Eve fell to the manipulations of the serpent, Gertrude falls to the gifts and flattery of Claudius, and thus, destroyed the Garden. Claudius represents the serpent as he was the variable that changed Denmark and Hamlet’s perception, thus opening their eyes to the world similar to how Adam and Eve gained knowledge as a result…

In Bantam's Elizabethan Star Wars: Superstition and Supernatural, Bantam analyzes the extent to which superstitions influenced people's lives in Elizabethan England. Superstitions substituted rationalization with unexplainable myths that society would abide by and deem infallible; the underlying cause of superstitions derives from its use as moral mitigation and a way to recompense for malice without confronting their own errors. Every aspect of their life was tainted with magic- the spilt milk…

Lear was a character that incorporated an abundance of negative traits. Above all, Lear’s fatal flaw, which was anger, was the characteristic that enormously contributed to the tragic ending of the story. Throughout the play, he only cared about satisfying his own needs and getting what he desired. He was too old to learn. Firstly, at the beginning, Lear created a sick love contest, where his daughters had to express their love for their father in front of the whole kingdom. The daughter that…

Who is the first person who comes to mind when speaking of the Enlightenment Era? In the case of many, one very prominent figure, comes to mind, by the name of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A fellow French philosopher, writer, and composer, Rousseau surely does catch the attention of many with his extravagant occupations and ideas. Influenced by earlier philosophers such as Voltaire and John Locke, Rousseau expressed his voice in various subjects, ranging from human rights to the idea of society…

inspires them to ignore honest criticism, ultimately bringing about their downfall. The ambitious drive to maintain power and wealth is clearly exemplified by King Lear in Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of King Lear. He gives into the manipulative flattery employed by his eldest daughters in attempt to elevate his kingly ego. Cordelia, however, does not take advantage of her father by resorting to insincerity, and…

Is the glass half-full or half-empty? The novel, Sula by Toni Morrison, sees the glass half-empty. Morrison constantly depicts the evils in the 1920’s black community in her story, and for that she teaches her characters that goodness does not normally exist. All of characters have a relationship with another, be it mother-daughter, husband-wife, friends or family, and many of those relationships end in disaster. Toni Morrison’s pessimistic nature is the reason behind the many failed loving…

Rhetoric, in the 21st century, is becoming a lost art. Before beginning my first rhetoric course, the only real interaction I had with the word rhetoric was in the term rhetorical question, which it turns out I didn’t even know the real meaning to. It would not surprise me if this were also the case for many other individuals. Upon becoming familiar with rhetoric, I have realized how underappreciated it is. The “classic” secondary school essay makes a joke of the art of constructing a well…

Summary Many individuals have been led to remember and confess to serious crimes that in fact, never occurred. This can come about when the individual is confronted with special interview tactics that are often used by police interrogators. The way that police interrogators interview potential suspects may have an impact on these false confessions. Many police interrogators use certain tactics in an attempt to lead individuals to remember crimes that did not occur, then causing false…

A Dream’s Weary Awakening Life is both fearfully wonderful and death mysteriously petrifying. Death holds true promise, the only inevitability for one’s future. With one hand it steals away a life and with the other it has transpierced all who loved the departed soul, eventually knocking upon their own door. In 1915 Katherine Mansfield lived this tragedy when her beloved younger brother passed away, and she was soon after diagnosed with extrapulmonary tuberculosis, ultimately leading to her…

I think Gorgias is trying to illustrate what makes incantations powerful. In his arguments, he explains that inspired incantations have a double fold effect: relieving pain and pouring pleasure to an individual’s soul thereby making it easy to persuade and change one’s opinion regarding a certain matter. He asserts that incantations also takes advantage of the weaknesses in one’s soul and unearths the true intentions of a person. I also tend to think that the author is attempting to describe how…