Modern history

was speaking to a mixed audience: some bohemians and mostly bourgeoisie. This contrast between audience members shows one of the major paradoxes of the modern, which I refer to as the theatre price paradox, where the intended audience (the common man) does not attend plays originally written for their empowerment and benefit due to a lack of financial resources. This paradox still exists in contemporary times, as the high costs of tickets to today’s major Broadway shows make access difficult…

extraordinarily difficult in patriarchy”, which makes it especially crucial for modern viewers to be shown positive interactions concerning women (Bettelheim 293). Bettelheim also establishes the importance of positive identification with mother figures, stating that “if the mother fails the child in fairy tales, the child’s very life is in jeopardy” (Bettelheim 206). While the circumstances are not that dire in the modern world, the same principle stands; women need positive female role models…

Modernity is the way of becoming more modern, and making things better than they were before. Modernity is essentially the breaking of traditions in one form or another. So, disruption of tradition is a huge, and to me the most important, facet of modernity. Durkheim and de Tocqueville, however, aren’t huge supporters of this type of revolution. While de Tocqueville was one of the first conservative intellectuals to influence the direction of sociology, he was very concerned about the…

Living in the Past In a world constantly developing and changing, some things can never be changed, whether it’s a person, place, religion, or even society itself. Sticking to tradition is always humble beginnings, but when would one start to question tradition, or even alter it in some way? Modernity is always based off of tradition no matter what is being modernized. In William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, the main character Emily Grierson lives her entire life and style the exact same way…

The Moon Has No Friends Astronauts devote much of their time in solitude, with only their fellow astronauts as companions. The psychological effects of being in isolation for extensive periods can cause mental damage to the space traveler, which is why numerous hours of preparation are spent in isolation from others. On extensive galactic travel missions, communication with the individuals on earth can be entirely lost. Technology and communication systems can fail, and space travelers must…

heart. He is not played as the villain and his death actually inspires a sense of loss in the movie that was simply a momentary plot structure in the play. Polonius seems to get so wrapped up in the adventure of what is going on and the game of manipulation that when he ends up dead, it is as shocking to him as the viewer (Keahmann). Despite this positive on behalf of the movie version, it does more harm than good to the overall state of the work. The change in emotional dynamics leaves the…

Nitro-junkie & Badmotorjam I have a natural appreciation for muscle cars, classic automobiles, motorcycles et al. I also love movies, and my penchant for these appreciations means life stories are analogous to all things with engines and celluloid. What’s even better is there is never a shortage of stories to tell. Last week’s adventure at the pump was eye opening for me anyway. Yet, I have noticed that whenever someone sticks their neck out to write about the topic of masculinity, some people…

lot of change that occurred throughout the period of the early twentieth century, bringing it hurtling into the modern era, and there were many poets who chose to interact with this change and the events that helped shaped such change and explore it through their work. We will look at 3 examples of poems that approach the new era of modernity in different ways, ranging from the modern and graphic subject of D.H. Lawrence’s Tortoise Shout, to the melancholic tone representing many people’s…

changing culture stood Henry Ford and his automobile company. Ford helped push American culture toward a heightened emphasis on mechanization, while also revolutionizing mass production through the creation of the assembly line. Yet, both Ford and modern American culture displayed contradictions in how they affected the American people. While supplying many benefits that brought great progress to American society, they also created disadvantages.…

The relation to present day is, when a higher power speaks or explains their opinion, in which influences their peers or citizens in a strong way. Language as power is used in the Russian Revolution, throughout history, and even the present day. Throughout the present day, language as power is used, especially with leaders such as a president or a higher office in order to persuade or convince an audience, into believing or doing something. This was also used throughout…