“Endgame” by Samuel Beckett Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Endgame† by Samuel Beckett Essay â€Å"Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, theres a heap, a little heap, the impossible heap†. (p. 3) Here the endgame starts. In chess the endgame is defined as the stage of the game when only few pieces are left on the board. The same is with the Beckett’s play as there are only four people left. The endgame is a series of moves when the game is near the ending and its outcome is decided before the ceremony of the endgame occurs. Samuel Beckett is known to be a chess player and in the play the author compares the endgame with the end of life – death as death is inevitable as the game always ends. We see that in the play the main characters are enacting repetitive rituals labeled as the part of their endgame. Despite inevitable outcome the main characters are dragging through the final moves making their routines and they are doing whatever it takes to get through the day and to see the next day. The characters try to get through despite their game is lost. The idea of chess game is put in accordance with movements on the stage. The most vulnerable piece on the board is Hamm who utters: â€Å"Me to play†. (p. 18) Hamm is perceived as the King and he seems to be the most powerful. Clov is protective character in the centre of the board and Hamm often relies on him. Therefore, Clov is presented as the Queen and he is able to move easily. However, his erratic way of movement seems to be more suitable to the movement of the Knight. Nell and Nagg are insignificant characters and they are viewed as the Pawns – they appear only when the King calls for them. One by one the main characters are dying and one by one the chess figures are leaving the board. Nothing is eternal in the world and every game has its ending. The theme of chess play shows cyclical Universe – ‘the play ends with a stalemate’. The game will be played over and over again. Works Cited Adorno, Theodor W. Trying to Understand Endgame [1961], The New German Critique, no. 26, (Spring-Summer 1982) pp. 119-150. In The Adorno Reader ed. Brian OConnor. Blackwell Publishers. 2000. Beckett, Samuel. Endgame and the Act Without Words. USA: Groove Press, 1994.

Xenophon and Aristophanes: The Results of a Husband’s Desire for Control :: Xenophon Aristophanes Power Papers

Xenophon and Aristophanes: The Results of a Husband’s Desire for Control In Greek society women had little control over their lives. A husband wanted to be able to control his wife so she would run his household as he saw fit, so she did not damage his reputation, and so he knew the paternity of his children. A husband wanted the girl to be closely controlled by her father before she married for the same reasons. Aristophanes’ comedies and Xenophon’s Oeconomicus contain very different depictions of a Greek citizen woman’s life before she is married and during the time shortly after she is married. Both the comedies and Oeconomicus examine how girls were educated, how closely guarded they were in their father’s household, and their willingness to deceive their husbands. In Oeconomicus, Xenophon wrote about the ideal girl, but she was exaggerated in the direction of perfection. In the comedies, however, some the female characters were almost the exact opposite of the girl in Oeconomicus. Even though ideas about how girls were rai sed and how they behaved after they were married are very different in Oeconomicus and in Aristophanes’ comedies, both sets of ideas get at a husband’s desire for his wife to have been closely controlled by her father, and then by him. Aristophanes and Xenophon illustrate this desire by presenting the ideal characteristics of a wife and the characteristics men fear. They also use exaggeration to make the distinction between the good wife and the undesirable wife even clearer. Because husbands wanted their wives to be controlled first by their fathers, and then by them, women spent their entire lives under the control of men. There was also a large difference between how closely guarded by her father Ischomachos’s wife was, compared to the girls in the comedies. Girls were not only guarded to keep them from learning too much, but they were also guarded to keep them away from men so they would not have sex with or be raped by them. Because if a girl was, and after marriage her husband found out, he would be unsure of the paternity of his children. Ischomachos’s wife "had previously lived under diligent supervision in order that she might see and hear as little as possible" (Oeconomicus, VII, 5). She obviously did not leave her house much if her family was making an attempt to have her see and hear as little as possible.

Human Trafficking Essay

Human trafficking is a very prevalent issue in today’s societies throughout the world. Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. The extremely high demand for sex and cheap labor are two of the leading factors in the expansion of human trafficking. Despite efforts from various individuals and organizations, millions and millions of men and women are illegally traded each year. Many agree that human trafficking is a horrific injustice but fail to acknowledge the underlying conditions that enable the growth of this industry. The various reasons most individuals fail to think deeper than the surface issues to address the underlying issues are discussed in depth in The Sociological Imagination by C.Wrighr Mills. Until the underlying issues are acknowledged and corrected, more and more humans will be illegally traded. According to The Sociological Imagination, many problems of society are overlooked because the issues do not directly impact the individual’s life. Many individuals do not make the connection between their own life and the big picture, in this case the relevance of human trafficking. They fail to see that although human trafficking may not directly impact one’s life, the illegal trade of humans may indirectly impact their life. The humans illegally traded, not only face sexual and labor exploitation but many are forced into marriage. Others are forced to become street beggars or child soldiers. In some of the worst cases the humans trafficked are killed and their organs are sold on the organ black market. Individuals not aware of these alternate forms of human trafficking usually fail to see how common it is and do not see the indirect impact human trafficking may have on their life. Another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking on the global scale are the efforts to stop human trafficking are being concentrated on the wrong principles. Organizations like SafeHorizon, Called to Rescue, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Deborah’s Gate all focus on rescuing individuals from trafficking or helping individuals assimilate back into society after being trafficked. I acknowledge these are very useful tactics but these organizations are only addressing the victims after they have been traumatized instead of addressing the underlying issues of why there is human trafficking and developing ways to prevent it. Some of their efforts should be transferred to implementing procedures or strategies that prevent individuals from becoming victims instead of for after they become victims. The corruption of government officials and police force in countries where human trafficking is most prominent, also play a large role in the growth and expansion of human trafficking in certain regions. Bribes are taken so certain businesses are not investigated or raided. These businesses are known to illegally trade human beings but they are allowed to continue their illegal actions. Authorities are aware certain individuals are partaking in human trafficking but merely look the other way. Until this changes or the corrupt government officials and police officers are removed from power, the number of humans illegally traded will continue to rapidly grow. But even honest government officials and police officers face difficultly in combating human trafficking. Human trafficking is such a lucrative business because of the high demand for sex that even when authorities are able to apprehend individuals who are trading humans illegally, new individuals pop up and pick up where they left off. Another obstacle authorities face is that many individuals who are involved in human trafficking operate at such a small scale, it is very difficult to know about their actions. Numerous individuals illegal trade humans in small rural homes or small businesses and keep their actions very discrete. Authorities trying to end human trafficking face almost insurmountable odds. The Sociological Imagination touched on the idea that individuals feel trapped by the problems of today. They are unable to look beyond the immediate troubles and issues. Humans are too consumed with the struggles off everyday life to invest time in correcting large-scale social injustices. Individuals feel as if their vision and powers are limited to the smaller scale of their jobs, family and neighborhood. This idea is another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking on a global scale. If one feels as if they are powerless and cannot change or do not have the time to change large scale issues, then change is not brought about. One individual can make change no matter how big or small the injustice they are trying to combat is. Until one internalizes and begins to believe they can make a difference, their efforts usually are consumed by irreverent problems of everyday life. Another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking is that many individuals are distracted from the larger social injustices. The media chooses which stories to shed light upon and in turn decide the importance of issues. If an individual is exposed to the same story numerous times, they are inclined to believe that story is more relevant and important than a story that receives less coverage. Some forms of media purposely give more coverage to celebrity drama or irreverent issues to distract individuals from the larger issues. The larger issues can more easily be swept under the rug if â€Å"the people† are not addressing them. If the horrors and alarming statistics of human trafficking where displayed in the media more often, people would be more inclined to correct the conditions that enable the construction and expansion of human trafficking. The Sociological Imagination opened my mind to the conditions that prevent individuals from dealing with the troubles and issues that matter. Individuals are seldom aware of the intricate connections between the patterns of their own lives and the course of the world. Because they do not make this connection most individuals cannot cope with their personal troubles in an efficient enough way to be aware of the structural transformations that lie beneath them. Sociological Imagination is having the ability to grasp reality by putting everything into perspective to make sense of the non-sense by thinking below the surface. Until more individuals possess this sociological imagination, things will not change.

Black Church Culture and Community Action - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1010 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Culture Essay Level High school Tags: Ethnographic Essay Did you like this example? According to The beginning Years of Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church article, there were a variety of churches that were not for black citizens to attend, but it is seen throughout history some churches started to be established by black folk(beginning 1). How did the establishment of the Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church influence areas such as the Hill district and the Northside? How did the Presbyterian Church help the community such as the Hill District as well? These are questions being presented because, throughout the Article, it is noticeable how much the black church helped the black community. Throughout this paper, it will be explained as to how the black church helped the black community.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Black Church Culture and Community Action" essay for you Create order These Grace Memorial Presbyterian churches helped influence the community by giving the community a place to praise when they had no other place to go and worship. These churches gave them a space to clear their minds and feel safe and at peace. The black churches helped by doing social events. The social events helped attract more people into the church community as well as connect different churches. Black churches such as Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church influenced black communities to be active and engage with other black citizens within their communities. Churches were involved in so many events back in the 1700s to 1970. Many of the black churches were involved in many issues black citizens had back then, in the attempt to overcome many of the issues. Churches held black communities at unity with different programs and clubs for children as well as adults. The programs the black churches created helped with getting more people into the church. The churches can teach that not everything that happens cruelly and violently does not always be to result in violence. The Unity the black community held was a great cause of the black churches causing black citizens to never give up. African-Americans were not invited to churches by whites, therefore African-Americans started to abandon the white Presbyterian churches to create their own churches. The Presbyterian Church had Groups such as Young people-junior high, senior high, young adults, Mens Activities club, Womens National Loyal League, Co-Workers Club, Young Womens Progressive Club, and Swift Memorial Missionary Society(beginning 5). These Groups Gave the African-American citizens the chance to actively engage with one another. There were several womens groups, and each woman could belong to more than one (beginning 6). This gave the women the opportunity to meet new women and connect with them. This also gave them the chance to hear others opinions and how they feel building a better understanding of one another, therefore creating a congregation of powerful women. The Womens National Loyal League was a congregation of women during the Cold War supporting the Union War effort which abolished slavery(Womens 1). The women helped the Union troops by shipping foods, clothes, and helping in the United States Sanitary Commission(Womens 1). These actions gave the women a small political role in society, so the women started to urge the emancipation of African American (Women 1). These actions would cause things such as the freedom of African American slaves. The things the women did can also cause women to gain over time a strong role in the American society. This also brings a small sense of unity between some white and African American citizens. Boy Scouts was created with the scoutmaster being Mr.Lynne Hoye and Youth Choir directed by Mrs.Nan Currington( Beginning 6). These programs for the youth could help keep them from the cruel racial events and problems that African-Americans encountered. The Boy Scouts could help with teaching and disciplining young African-American children and young men how to be a proper young man and how to act in everyday life. The Youth Choir can help with getting more people to potentially believe in God if they felt the presence of the Lord influencing people to join the church. Black Churches worked with Allegany County Certified teachers in Sunday school(Beginning 5). With teachers working at the Sunday schools, this gave them a chance to teach many children about their savior. Since the Sunday school teacher was certified teachers they can also help with teaching children academics as well as help them with work. A woman from Grace Church by the name of Mrs.Alma Illery created a health center in Pittsburgh. The healthcare center was a private, nonprofit community-based health care center9(primary 1). The medical center has nine medical buildings, seven healthcare for the homeless, four for dental services, and 1 for family services for mostly lower-income families 9 (primary 1). This gave black people the opportunity to get medical attention when needed. These centers also provide a center for low-income black families to be supported. There were equal opportunities that were given to homeless citizens to get dental care and medical care. These centers would bring the black community to a unified position. The role of the Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church became a more dependable source for the African American citizens in the U.S. The article did not talk a lot about the Hill District but based on the reading it is assumed that the Presbyterian churches gave the chance to African-Americans in the Hill District area, a place to worship. The churches also gave the youth and adults the opportunity to join the many programs the churches offered. The Presbyterian Church also gave the Hill District a way to connect with all of the other churches. Black Churches such as the Presbyterian Church were the glue to the African-American Society. Throughout African-American history, Black Churches such as the Presbyterian Church was involved in a lot of the historical events often helping the black community grow as one big family. These churches brought the black congregation to get an understanding of one another along with what racial problems they were dealing with and how to deal with them. The African-American churches caused the black citizens to never give up and always see the light no matter how bad things got furthermore, to never act violently. Presbyterian Churches highly influenced the black communities.