Philosophy of Mind, Body and Soul

Philosophy of Mind, Body and Soul Soul, mind and body are three important and core subjects under study when discussing the philosophy of human beings. The understanding of the relationship between soul and body has always been a source of concern among philosophers. The existence of soul and justifying mind as a separate entity from brain is never completely understood. The relationship of mind with the body i.e. how the mind controls the body and how changes in the body affect the mind is always been a main issue in studying philosophy of mind. Mind philosophy is a complex subject. Some of the functions of the mind work independently from body. But others do work in collaboration with the body. Philosophers have accomplished variety of studies to understand the actual role and existence of mind that includes if mind is a physical or non-physical matter, if its the part of the body or the soul? And other issues like that. Dualism gives a good explanation of all these problems. Though there are objections to it. But it does address all issues of independent working of mind and body. Human nature is in turn a complex subject and it is difficult to grasp full knowledge of philosophical explanations of human beings Descartes used to believe that mind interacts with the brain. Though he used to consider mind as spiritual and immaterial and brain as spatial. This paper discusses why human nature and human being have problematic philosophical explanations and how mind-body relationship makes it complex and difficult to understand. The philosophy of mind gives a contemporary view of the entity mind or soul. The contemporary views do accept soul as an independent existent. The main concern of the contemporary approach is also to understand the relationship between the physical working of brain and states of mind. My theoretical outlook for the problem stated would be dualism. According to which mind is a non-physical entity and it can exist separately from the body. In this essay firstly I will explain the phenomenal features of human experience which differentiate them with other living things. The power of intelligence and consciousness produces such features. Then in the light of theories and philosophies presented by renowned philosophers such as Aristotle and Descartes, I will analyze these phenomenal features in the context of soul-body relationship. After this, a brief explanation of the concept of dualism will be presented which will serve as a theoretical outlook for this paper in discussion ahead. With the help of dualism I will explain these features. Then, there will be a brief explanation of a major objection to the concept of dualism and that is how mind and body communicate with each other? I will try to justify my response over this objection in the next part. Then I will conclude the paper having all important points. There are some features of human beings which differentiate them from other living things. With the thinking power, use of intelligence and intellect and consciousness has give human beings the power to rule the world. These phenomenal features are the most important characteristics of human mind. Its charismatic that how human mind is capable of producing all these emotions with exceptional brilliance. I will explain some of these phenomenal features. Reason is one of the phenomenal features of human being through which. With the help of this a person can draw results from the given data or observations and can make hypothesis and assumptions. Moreover, one can support its argument through reasoning. Reflection is a process depending upon thinking; augmenting and analyzing one own self. Its more of spiritual phenomena where one examines ones own conduct, feelings and actions. Emotion means the mood, feel, temperament, attitude, state of mind and heart over certain action or happening. It mostly is a part of ones personality. Motivation is a very important part of emotion. Abstraction (as discussed in the course) is a thought process which includes ideas on a general level. More general and common features or details are put together and specific details and features are left out. It involves a process of classification. Faith is one of the very strong phenomenal feature of human being. It requires a process of events and mental activity and thought process to finally able to develop faith over a certain phenomena or understanding. Socrates believed in transcendentalism and he believed that each human being is like a spark of the over soul. He also thinks that soul will be separated by the body just in case of death and it is kind of a form. Faith was the head start of the discussion of our course. Understanding and wondering which reasons and miracles had made us believe in God? The example of two places which had a bridge in between them is great in emphasizing faith. A person will cross even an unbalanced bridge if he has faith in his constructor, but he will never cross the bridge if its perfectly fine and has no belied a faith in its constructor. So we see that courage is the outcome of faith. And faith is achieved by different reasons. In fact every human being has his own reasons for faith. Th e idea of Skinner on PFHE is hopeless; it is not deliberately true that we do everything by aiming at some benefit. Its not verified in every case. We see that naturalism has been derived from metaphysical realism. Moral valuation is a study of approach, direction and way in which or through which human beings believe and develop some kind of values or beliefs. Human beings does compare things and make a choice, this behavior is valuation. The techniques to inquire investigate and acquire new aspects, information and knowledge by gathering observations, collecting evidences, making hypothesis and then proving certain hypothesis is called scientific inquiry. The emotion, urge of human being to explore, investigate, inquire and learn more about a certain thing is called curiosity. Its the driving force of advancement in science and technology. Many philosophers explained unique features of human beings through different concepts and tried to develop a connection between these features and working of the body. Aquinas used the natural theology; I still recall the long debate on natural and revealed theology. But I think Aquinas was true to some extent on proving the existence of God by the means of the natural processes and nature itself. The First Mover theory can be taken into account too. While if we see St. Thomas we will come to know that being a Christian he declined Aristotle points of views. He thought that God is actually a cause for all the natural things that had happened. Aristotle gave the philosophy of Hylomorphism, according to which soul is something which makes a body alive. Soul is a set of properties; a form.such as glass is the form of water in it. According to Aristotle soul is related to body as a form of matter. So whatever phenomenal features of human being are that are the characteristic of body because soul is the part of the body which is accomplishing all these phenomenal features. Aristotle explained the unity of soul and body, both needs each other to work. Descartes gave the philosophy of dualism, according to which mind is a separate existence from brain and is a non-physical entity. All these phenomenal features are part of mind. He was first to identify mind with consciousness, awareness and intelligence. According to him brain is a material substance which is a part of body but mind exists separately from the body. The mind according to Descartes was a non-material entity. And he considered body as an extended and non-thinking thing. He argued that mind can exist apart from its extended body. And therefore mind is not a part of the body, its a different substance. Because the essence of mind is in the power of thinking. the actual idea behind his philosophy is that mind and body can interact. He argued that only humans have minds. Animals do not have minds. They lack the feature of self-consciousness. Living things can have three grades of sensation: physical, conscious, self-conscious. According to Descartes animals and human have only first sensation in common and that is physical. For example if an animal has felt a sensation e.g., the only possible reactions would be physical like dancing, screaming etc. But they will not consciously feel anything because they lack understanding of mind. Jean- Paul Sartre presented the philosophy of Existentialism. According to this philosophy an individual is responsible for its existence and for the standard/quality of life he is living. Sartre did justice with his opinion about the individuality of human beings. Sartres example of animal and plant was the most amazing of all. He distinguishes animals and plants from human beings by saying them unconscious and more mechanically operated things. It supports the phenomena of Atheism. This philosophy justifies that human being is responsible for its own actions despite of the obstacles in life. Now, I will explain the phenomenal features of human beings in the light of dualism. Dualism is an approach which basic idea resides upon the fact that mind is a non-physical matter i.e. it is not a part of the brain. It is non-physical. Many philosophers worked on dualism but a more famous version of dualism was given by Rene Descartes who maintained that mind is a non-physical thing. According to this mind is not a part of brain. According to Descartes mind is a thinking thing. We can take the example of container to elaborate it. Consider human being as a container which has body and brain in it along with a SEPARATE non-physical mind. Mind thinks, hopes, believes and have the consciousness and intelligence to deal with situations. Moreover Descartes argued that mind is a separate non-physical entity which can exist without the body. Phenomenal features of human beings can be well explained through Dualism. All the phenomenal features explained above are states of mind which are attributes of a non-physical matter. A physical matter cannot think, reason, and argue. These feelings of curiosity, believes, enquiring, emotion and reflection are the products of mind. Mind is the force which pushes the body to work to learn more about a certain thing. For example a person read something, it always has some effects on his/her mind. Mind will ponder about that subject and ideas are built through it, which as a result produces curiosity to learn more. And scientific inquiry takes place to reach to a certain solution. And the mind develops values and believes on the basis of the observations and results around it. And all these features of human being which are related to awareness, consciousness and intelligence are the products of mind. Mind is the one producing and operating them. If dualism is not true then mind is only the physical brain. Then in this situation we cannot think of a material substance to possess the qualities of consciousness which is the central ingredient for possessing phenomenal features. We cannot then expect features like consciousness, emotions, curiosity, sensations, desires, beliefs etc. So there has to be something which is responsible for these behaviors, and that is mind which is not material and which is a non-physical substance. Interactionism is a view of dualists, which can explain well these phenomenal features which occur as an interaction of mind and body. Thomas is said to be the symbolic founder of interactionism. Thomas thought that people were not exclusively controlled by the socialism and social pressures. Mental states always have this link with physical states. When we see something, we use our eyes and eyes send message to mind which invokes some kind of emotion, action or feeling. If a person has got an injury, he will feel pain and he will cry for help. And if somebody hears him, he will experience an emotion to reach for help. So the process continues with the series of interactions. And we can see the example of a sailor and a ship. The sailor can feel the bruise he has on his hands but he cant actually feel the pain when the ship is damaged or broken. There is also some objection for this school of philosophy. One of the major objections is casual interaction. A major objection to this view is that how mind interacts with the body i.e. how physical states interact or send a message to mental states and vice versa. If mind is a non-physical matter then how it is interacting with a physical matter. There is no explanation to this. When a person is injured, how the message is transferred toward mind which as a results cause the state of pain. When mind is not a part of body then how this communication is working? Obviously, we assume there will be a series of events which will finally let this pain feeling happen. There will be nerves playing around sending the message finally to the brain. But then how brain (a physical matter) will send or transfer this message to mind (a non-physical matter). That is a very big question mark? Descartes himself did not have a proper answer to this problem. His meditations which we have elaborately studied in this course have revealed to us many of his point of views. He says that we can doubt all the things and he considers mind as indivisible and body as divisible. He was of the view that this interaction of soul and body or mind and body is through PINEAL GLAND, which is a gland in human brain. He says how the idea of a ruling absolute power exists in our minds? Thus he says that we distinctly perceive. All he was trying to do was to prove the immortality of the soul. He maintained that casual interaction is taking place through pineal gland. But this is not a very good explanation. Again the problem is same, how a non-material mind is interacting with pineal gland (which obviously is a physical matter). Some of Descartes students, ef Arnold Geulincx adopted a different frame of mind for this problem. And I find that solution very satisfactory. According to Arnold that a ll these mind-body interactions are a result of direct intervention of God. So, when God wants, these interactions happen otherwise not. These interactions are not because of a certain mechanism or through some medium; they happen and occur when there is Gods will. Only God knows how it works, he is responsible for this stimulation. Human body and human nature is a very complex subject. The human nature cannot be understood easily. There are phenomenal features of human beings which differs them from other living things and those phenomenal features have convinced us that there is something non-physical in human body which is responsible for these phenomenal features. Dualism answers some of such questions and consider mind a non-physical entity responsible for such features and it is a separate entity from brain. But a major objection to dualism is that how mind interacts with the body? What is the medium of communication between a physical and non-physical matter? And a satisfactory answer would be that God is above all. The interaction between mind and body is dependent on God. And may be only he knows and he is responsible for such bizarre communication.

Pablo Picasso’s Life, Works and Contributions to Art Essay

Art allows us to look at the world from a different and unique perspective; all of us interpret artwork differently. It is a great way for people to express feelings, ideas, concepts and ideologies, and for some, it helps us express whatever cannot simply be defined by words. Art gives you freedom to explore things in a different way, and preserve your thoughts on the canvas for everyone else to see. When we look at artwork that portrays a universal idea, we feel a sense of unity with others who perceive the artwork in the same way because it tells us we are not alone in the way we think. Great pieces of artwork are so brilliant that they can bring us to a new world, change our way of looking at things and distance us from the commonalities of everyday life. It makes us feel rejuvenated and you can even lose yourself in its beauty! Studying and admiring artwork also develops our critical thinking skills. One of the greatest artists who ever lived is Pablo Picasso. He had contributed so much in the name of art. He had demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years while painting in a realistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. His revolutionary artistic accomplishments brought him universal renowned and immense fortune, making him one of the best figures in 20th century art. Let us then venture into the astonishing life, works and contributions to arts of Pablo Picasso. Biography, Works, and Art Contributions of Pablo Picasso Picasso was born in October 25, 1881 in the city of Mà ¡laga, Spain. He was baptized Pablo Diego Josà © Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Marà ­a de los Remedios Crispiniano de la Santà ­sima Trinidad by his parents, Don Josà © Ruiz y Blasco and Marà ­a Picasso y Là ³pez. Picasso showed a passion and a skill for drawing from an early age. From the age of seven, Picasso received formal artistic training from his father in figure drawing and oil painting. Even Picasso’s earliest drawings executed when he was about 10 years old, showed an exceptional technical facility. When the family moved to Barcelona in October 1895, Picasso attended La Lonja, the school of fine hearts there and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. In October 1900 he made the first of three visits to Paris, where he established himself finally in April 1904. During the intensely creative years 1899-1901, Picasso’s style varied considerably. At the start, he used strong colors in a Postimpressionist manner. Then he painted predominantly in blue, his so called Blue Period of late 1901-1904. Until Mid 1901 his principal subjects were lively scenes of popular and bourgeois life (cabarets, racecourses, dance halls, etc.) Toward the end of 1901, however, Picasso’s world became that of the suffering victims of society: prostitutes, beggars, drunkards, etc. In 1904, his gloom lifted and he looked freshly at humanity with tenderness and admiration and adopted warmer colors and a more harmonious, classical style of draftsmanship. During this Rose Period, his favorite subjects were dancers and acrobats. Between the end of 1906 and the spring of 1907, while influenced by the painting of Paul Cezanne, Picasso produced a painting called â€Å"Les Demoiselles d’Avignon† that constitutes a violent break with tradition. This painting pointed the way toward Cubism, a new pictorial style that Picasso and his friend Braque began to develop side by side and in close friendship. They disregarded the conventional means used for creating illusions of reality such as one point perspective, chiaroscuro, and the definition of form and color by light, aiming instead to represent objects more conceptually by breaking them into geometrical units, or small cubes, and by depicting a single object on the same canvass from a multiplicity of angles. Picasso was to continue elaborating and perfecting this style until about 1925. Simultaneously, from about 1915 onward, he began to work in the opposite direction, depicting figures of a subtly detached classicism- linear, sculptural, and monument al. After 1925 Picasso began to depict emotionally-charged bodies and heads whose dislocations give rice to double images and pictorial metaphors. A private Surrealist vocabulary of powerful symbols (e.g., the Minotaur) Emerged in the 1930’s to express his personal dilemmas and stress. Picasso’s interest in the sculpture, dormant since 1905, revived at this time. The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 inspired the great and harrowing mural painting â€Å"Guernica† (1937), the first reference of his work to political events. In 1944 Picasso joined the Communist Party, and in 1949 his â€Å"Dove† lithograph was adopted as the symbol of the World Peace Congress. In the pos-war years much of Picasso’s work centered on the themes of wars of peace and man’s right to leisure and peaceful relaxation. After 1955, the theme of the artist and his magic powers assumed great importance in his work. Picasso’s powerful inventive gifts led him to work in many fields. He produced (1917-1924) some famous decors for Sergey Diaghilev’s Russian ballet company. He also made significant technical innovations in lithography and linocutting and produced a great quantity of painted pottery. Pablo Picasso died on April 8, 1973 at age 91in Mougins, France, while he and his wife Jacqueline entertained friends for dinner. Cubism Cubism is modern art made up mostly of paintings. The paintings are not supposed to look real The artist uses geometric shapes to show what he is trying to paint. Early cubists used mainly grays, browns, greens, and yellows. After 1914, Cubists started to use brighter colors. Cubism was the beginning of the Abstract and Non-objective art styles. Expressionism In Expressionist Art, the artist tries to express certain feelings about something. The artists that painted in this style were more concerned with having their paintings express a feeling than in making the painting look exactly like what they were painting. Surrealism Surrealist paintings were generally based on dreams. Their paintings were filled with familiar objects which were painted to look strange or mysterious. They hoped their odd paintings would make people look at things in a different way and change the way they felt about things. They thought that their paintings might stir up feelings in the back of people’s minds. Naturalism Naturalism is a type of art that shows things exactly as they appear in life. It began in the 18th century, but the greatest Naturalist era was in the mid-19th century. Most Realists were from France, but there were some famous American painters who were Realists also. The Old Guitarist The Old Guitarist is an oil painting by Pablo Picasso created in 1903. It depicts an old, blind, haggard man with threadbare clothing weakly hunched over his guitar, playing in the streets of Barcelona, Spain. It is currently on display in the Art Institute of Chicago. Three Musicians Three Musicians is the title of two similar collage and oil paintings by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. They were both completed in 1921 in Fontainebleau near Paris, France, and exemplify the Synthetic Cubist style. Each painting features a Harlequin, a Pierrot, and a monk, who are generally believed to represent Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Max Jacob, respectively. Guernica It was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, Basque Country, by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on 26 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world’s attention. CONCLUSION Pablo Picasso who’s considered to be the most famous artist in the 20th century inspires many people through his paintings in which he express his feelings, affections and ideals. He is widely known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. Picasso’s work was inspired by what was happening around him from his gloomy Blue Period to the uplifting Rose Period. He interprets art in his own way, adding his own unique flavor to his interpretation. Picasso was exceptionally prolific throughout his long lifetime. The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50,000, comprising 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics, roughly 12,000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs. Picasso tells us that art itself requires no explanation, â€Å"Everyone wants to understand art. Why don’t we try to understand the song of a bird? Why do we love the night, the flowers, everything around us, without trying to understand them? But in the case of painting, people think they have to understand. If only they would realize above all that an artist works of necessity, that he himself is only an insignificant part of the world, and that no more importance should be attached to him than to plenty of other things which please us in the world though we can’t explain them; people who try to explain pictures are usually barking up the wrong tree.† We admire art, yet we may never know why. It is captivating because of its mysterious allure. Like a little girl playing hide and seek with her boisterous brothers, art refuses to give in to definition, to reason, to restraint or to direction. Art gives us the roads, yet not the map. As the bewitching seductress toys with us, her subjects, we follow her blindly and blissfully into the unknown. BIBLIOGRAPHY Nill, R.M. (1987). A Visual Guide to Pablo Picasso’s Works. New York: B&H Publishers. FitzGerald, M. C. (1996). Making modernism: Picasso and the creation of the market for twentieth-century art. Berkeley: University of California Press. Goetz, P.W. (2007) Pablo Picasso. In The new encyclopedia Britannica 15th ed. (vol. 9, p. 421). USA: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Naturalism. (2012). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved July 7, 2012 from Britannica Website: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/406427/naturalism Amber, S. (2009). Three nude paintings. Journal of Art History, 4(6), 23-26. Caniete, R.R. (2012, February 20). Cubist master Sym Mendoza masters the heart’s desire. Philippine Daily Inquirer. pC3

Persuasive Techniques Used in Poetry Essay - 2193 Words

Persuasive Techniques Used in Poetry Compare the persuasive techniques used in the poems. Say which poems you feel are the most effective and Why? Persuading poets have been writing poems on love, lust and nature since the beginning of time. The 7 poems that are analysed here range from the 16th-19th centuries. These poems are all written by men arguing and persuading the effects of love. In â€Å"To virgins†, it appears that Robert Herrick uses small amounts of natural imagery to persuade virgins and to stress the fast passing of time. He begins with a time threatening statement urging the virgins to †gather ye rosebuds while ye may† he then adds â€Å"This same flower that smiled today tomorrow will be dying†. These†¦show more content†¦He ends the fourth stanza with a negative mood by using â€Å"you may forever tarry†. This phrase means that for the rest of your life you will suffer with loneliness if you don’t follow his commands. Herrick’s poem is in an ordered structure and has an alternate rhyming rhythm that makes the poem more commanding. The lack of imagery in this poem gives it a more uneasy and blunt mood. The pace of the rhythm in this poem is quick which links in with the expressing of fast time and adds to the effect of a threatening poem. This poem suggests to me that maybe he is desperate so he uses the persuasion accordingly. This poem compares well to â€Å"Of Beauty† by Richard Fanshawe because both of the poems are in an ordering mood and have a positive and negative part of the stanza’s. It also compares well to† To his coy mistress† by Andrew Marvell. Both of the poems are arguing that time is running out so let me love you now while we have the time. They both use a lot of time statements such as ‘long loves day’, nearer he’s to setting’ and ‘ten years before’. The second poem, â€Å"Of Beauty† by Richard Fanshawe, is a short, one stanza poem. It uses personification during the middle of the stanza. â€Å"Earth her winter coat may cast, and renew her beauty past†. These uses of personification are to state that winter is a person and her beauty runs out so and so will yours. Earth her winter coat may cast†. The imagery that is used in Of Beauty isShow MoreRelatedA Literary Analysis On The Shall I Compare Thee? Essay784 Words   |  4 PagesXVIII) by William Shakespeare and the â€Å"To his Coy Mistress† Poem by Andrew Marvell This article compares the poems â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee?† (Sonnet XVIII) with â€Å"To his Coy Mistress† and examines the purposes of the poems and their implemented poetry techniques to convey their poets ideas. On first look it seems both poems are sharing the common ideas of â€Å"Love† but by analyzing the poems, it becomes clear that the purposes of the two poems are not similar. The purpose of Shakespeare in writing his poemRead MoreWilfred Owen Techniques1135 Words   |  5 PagesWilfred Owens war poetry Good morning/afternoon teacher and peers, Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 in Oswestry (United Kingdom). He wanted to be a poet from the age of nineteen although most of his famous work is that which he wrote in his years spent in the war where he died in 1918. The preface to Owens poetry read: â€Å"This book is not about heroes. English poetry is not yet fit to speak of them. Nor is it about deeds, or lands, nor anything about glory, honour, might, majesty, dominionRead MoreEssay on Compare and Contrast Literary Text and Non-Literary Text1569 Words   |  7 Pagespersonal diaries, current affairs news, journals, text books and articles. Non-literary composition is written objectively. In contrast, literary texts are fictional compositions based on the artist’s will and imaginations and are therefore subjective. Poetry, novels, short stories and dramas are written in a particular way, and this is referred to as literary text. In literary texts, authors creatively create feelings and ideas to entertain their audiences. Examples of literary texts are poems, shortRead MoreTypes Of Non Fictional Writing920 Words   |  4 Pageswriting that employs the literary techniques usually associated with fiction or poetry to report on persons, places, and events in the real world. Non-fiction is used in so many ways. It is based on cold hard facts, truth. Non-f ictional writers have used this style to create amazing stories of wars, countries once great and powerful, and people who inspired the world. Alexander the Great to JFK, everyone has a story. Non-fiction is used in movies, books, songs, poetry, and pictures. Some of the greatestRead MoreEssay about Metaphysical Poetry - the flea + sune rising1703 Words   |  7 Pages Metaphysical poets use startling juxtapositions in their poetry to create a greater significance in their arguments and intended meanings throughout the poem. John Donne is said to be the unsurpassed metaphysical poet, metaphysical poetry being poetry relating to a group of 17-century English poets whose verse is typified by an intellectually arduous style, admitting extended metaphors and comparing very disparate things. In 17th century England new discoveries were being made and social customsRead More The Poetry of Andrew Marvell and John Donne Essay951 Words   |  4 PagesThe Poetry of Andrew Marvell and John Donne The seventeenth century was an era of beautiful poetry. Two poets in particular, Andrew Marvell and John Donne, wrote carpe diem poetry full of vivid imagery and metaphysical conceits. Each conveyed the message of living for the now. This message can be clearly seen in the poems To his Coy Mistress by Marvell and Donne’s Flea. By using clever metaphors and meter, the poems not only are symbolic, but have almost a physical aspect to them. ThoughRead MoreThe Most Influential Moments Of The First World War1136 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction The First World War was one of the most influential moments of the twentieth century where literate soldiers fought in inhuman conditions and reacted to their surroundings through written words, most often poetry. Jessie Pope and Wilfred Owen were made famous by the poetry they wrote, about describing various war experiences. Both poets wrote from completely different perspectives of war. Jessie Pope born in Leicester (England) in 1868 was an English poet, writer and journalist who remainsRead MoreLove in To His Coy Mistress and The Flea Essay1850 Words   |  8 Pagesmetaphysical poetry used intellectual and theological concepts in an ingenious way. Metaphysical poetry was partly written in rebellion against the highly conventional Elizabethan love poetry just prior to the time. Conventional love poetry what one would generally expect of a love poem. A perhaps typical love poem of the era would have been: Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers Day, by William Shakespeare (16th sonnet) where lavish compliments and imagery are used to flatterRead MoreLiterary and Non Literary Texts Essay example1368 Words   |  6 Pagesliterary text (Education for Leisure by Carol Ann Duffy) and a non literary text (Newspaper article from â€Å"The Independent† by Nigel Morris) focussing on the language features used, the structural and presentational devices, the use of correct punctuations, analyse the structure of the non literary text for bias and the techniques used to convey meaning and ideas by both authors. The objective of literary texts is to teach the readers a life lesson with the development and growth of the main character asRead More Latin Literature In History Essay1193 Words   |  5 Pagesdaily life following Rome’s imperialization, identical persuasive technique began to show itself in Roman literature. But Greek themes were just a backbone in Roman literature, and as time, progressed, Rome established a unique literary style, which, alongside Greek Literature, had a profound influence on the future History of Europe. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; One important early innovator is Quintus Ennius. Called the father of Latin poetry, he wrote a number of comedies in Latin as well. In addition

Music-Based Improv Games for Young Actors

Most improv exercises are intended to expand actors comfort with creating characters, interacting in front of an audience, and thinking on their feet. Few exercises, however, are built around musical comedy. There are a few reasons for this: Musical comedy requires music, and few drama teachers have access to a piano and piano player. Sure, you can play around with recorded music -- but thats not as easy as it sounds.Musical comedy requires singing, and a surprising number of young actors are very shy about singing. Those students who are not confident in their singing skills may refuse to take part.Musical comedy doesnt generally require the same level of character development as a straight play or even a non-musical comedy. With music and dance to take up the slack, many musicals have stock characters with little motivation and few personal characteristics. So why bother with music-related improv? First: almost every high school in America -- and many junior high schools -- produce musicals every spring. If your students plan to take part, theyll need to brush up their musical skills. Second, music is a terrific tool for building internal rhythm and other skills your young actors will need whether or not they ever play a musical lead. The improv activities described here are music-related, but they dont require participants to read music -- or even to sing! Theme Music Improv This improv activity is suitable for 2 – 3 performers. It requires theatrical music to be played while the actors perform. I recommend a simple keyboard and someone who can play impromptu background music. (Nothing fancy is necessary – just music that conveys different emotions.) Have the audience members suggest a location. For example: library, zoo, kindergarten class, driving school, etc. The actors begin the scene with a normal, everyday exchange: Hey, Bob, did you get that promotion?Son, I got a call from the principal today.Hello, and welcome to jury duty! Once the conversation is underway, the instructor (or whoever is manning the keyboard) plays background music. The melody can alternate between dramatic, whimsical, suspenseful, western, science-fiction, romantic, and so forth. The actors must then create action and dialogue that matches the mood of the music. Whenever the music changes, the behavior of the characters change. Emotion Symphony This drama exercise is terrific for large groups. One person (perhaps the drama instructor or group leader) serves as the orchestra conductor. The rest of the performers should sit or stand in rows, as though they were musicians in an orchestra. However, instead of having a string section or a brass section, the conductor will create emotion sections. Learn more about how your students can create an â€Å"Emotion Orchestra.† Song Spoofs It’s not easy to compose original melodies. (Just ask 80s band Milli Vanilli!). However, students can take their first step toward a song-writing career by spoofing existing songs. Form the students into groups (between 2 – 4 people). They should then select a song with which they are each familiar. Note: It doesn’t have to be a show tune – any Top 40 song will do. The instructor will give the song-writing groups a topic for their song lyrics. Because of the storytelling nature of musical theater, the more conflict, the better. Here are a few suggestions: Getting â€Å"dumped† on Prom Night.Being trapped in an elevator.Getting caught shoplifting.Saying goodbye to your dead goldfish.Finding out your grandma is a vampire. Students collectively write as much of the lyrics as they can, hopefully telling a story, or conveying lyrical dialogue. The song could be delivered by one or more characters. When the students present their work to the rest of the class, they can simply read the lyrics to the class. Or, if they feel brave enough, they can perform the newly created number and sing their hearts out!