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Abraham Stoker was born in Clontarf, Ireland, on November 8, 1847. He was a sickly child, bedridden for much of his boyhood until about the age of seven. As a youth, Stoker was intrigued by the stories told him by his mother, Charlotte. Especially influential to the mind of young Stoker were the stories she related about the cholera epidemic of 1832 which claimed thousands of lives. These cruel and vivid tales began to shape the young Stoker's imagination. Stoker’s early fiction is not of particularly high quality. He wrote short stories for children and then a first novel, The Snake’s Pass (1890), which was unsuccessful. Stoker’s fortunes changed in 1897 with the publication of Dracula, which still stands as his greatest literary achievement. Although the novel was not an immediate popular success, it has been in print continuously since its first publication and has inspired countless films and other literary works. Many people are familiar with his novel, Dracula. It is typically referred to as a horror story sure to give a good scare.

However, Bram Stoker was not merely out to give his Victorian audience a thrill ride. Many symbols and themes, particularly those of the main antagonist Dracula, were brought into the novel to teach a lesson. Oddly enough, Dracula resembles other forces of evil in other religions as well. A strong comparison exists between Dracula, Satan, and Hindu demons. Some differences do exist, but the parallels that are apparent bring attention to a culture's idea of a monster or threatening force to order. Although the idea of vampires had already been popular in folklore long before Bram Stoker wrote Dracula, his adaptation of the tale lead to the creation of one of literature's most symbolically sexualized characters.

Dracula has proven the 1897 novel to be truly timeless. It is arguably one of the most beloved classics of Gothic Literature. By examining the Victorian era in which Dracula was written, looking closely at how the female characters are portrayed, the gender relations between the characters, and the blatant homosexual undertones of the novel, this reflection will explore how the classic seamlessly manipulates the themes of women's sexuality, gender inversion, and Christian Salvation. Discussion of theme(s) and author’s style(s) Throughout the novel, Bram Stoker deals with the theme of beast versus humanity. The idea of same-sex erotica also confuses what it means to be a sexual being. As seen in the combination of male blood during the transfusion scene, men may only touch each other through women; therefore Dracula uses the hyper-sexuality of the mutated women he controls in order to get to the men he really wants. He is the original supreme vampire and uses his offshoots of female vampires to enact his will and desire. "My jackals [will] do my bidding when I want to feed," he claims (Stoker 360). After Lucy’s transformation, the men keep a careful eye on Mina, worried they will lose yet another model of Victorian womanhood to the dark side. The men are so intensely invested in the women’s sexual behavior because they are afraid of associating with the socially scorned. In fact, the men fear for nothing less than their own safety. However, more important than the meaning behind the tangible concluding events, is the fact that within Dracula are the ever-present struggles to define, maintain, manipulate, and explore what it means to be a sexual being; to struggle with duality. Stoker stretches the concept until it becomes as distorted as his master villain, yet in the process, brings the reader closer to discovering the true spectrum of human sexuality.

Another one of the major themes in Dracula is the concept of Christian Salvation. This theme starts in the beginning as Harker is traveling to Castle Dracula. The locals cross themselves, make the sign of the cross, and one puts a Rosary around Jonathan Harker’s neck. We see Stoker using the theme that if a person will follow Christ salvation will be found in heaven and evil will be kept at bay. Another instance was Stoker is using the theme of Christian Salvation is when Van Helsing is brought into so save Lucy Westenra from the vampire hold.

After the Count arrives at London he begins his affair with Lucy, but not in the usual sense. The Count chooses beautiful women, then seduces and converts her while she sleeps. As Mina and Dr. Seward strive to keep Lucy alive, Professor Van Helsing arrives to aid Seward in saving Lucy. After realizing that Lucy is a vampire, a cross is kept around at all times Even though Lucy did become a vampire, it was through Christian Salvation that Van Helsing tried to save her. Stoker presents a particularly liberal vision of salvation in his implication that the saved need not necessarily be believers.

In Dracula, all of the dead are granted the unparalleled peace of salvation—only the “Un-Dead” are barred from it. In the novel, several characters are seen following roles and actions that are usually reserved for the opposite sex, these situations allow for the Victorian reader to understand that this is a special situation and that something is not right. In clearer terms, the switching and blurring of gender roles allow for a greater sense of strangeness and wrongness for the novel to continue successfully as horror fiction. Jonathan Harker is the first character we see allowing himself to be feminized, firstly when he is captured by the Brides of Dracula and his reactions are entirely passive and feminine: “I lay quiet, looking out under my eyelashes in an agony of delightful anticipation” (Stoker, 32).

Eventually, he manages to escape them, only to end up in a bed, ill, not only physically from the Brides’ blood drinking, but also mentally as his reality is altered and he believes himself to be going insane: “. . . In his delirium his ravings have been dreadful; of wolves and poison and blood; of ghosts and demons.” Jonathan’s hallucinations and symptoms fit what physicians would attribute to hysteria, which is generally a woman’s ailment. His six weeks in bed allow him to regain himself and therefore bring him back into the normal boundaries of manhood, this rehabilitation is fully realized and sealed by his marriage to Mina.

However, the character who challenges traditional gender roles the most is Mina. She uses a typewriter and is economically stable on her own. She is also able to act as one of the men, helping plan out situations and make sense of the chaos that Dracula brings to London. It is her notes and her work that ultimately lead to the death of Dracula. Her actions are reflective of a modern woman, as compared to a traditional Victorian woman; however she is still bound to her culture: “Ah, that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man’s brain-a brain that a man should have were he much gifted-and a woman’s heart. The good God fashioned her for a purpose, believe me, when He made that so good a combination” (Stoker, 201). In this case, Mina’s masculinity is acceptable because she is still a woman who plays by the rules that she is meant to follow, that is, she marries and is, unlike Lucy, controllable by her husband. Dracula, on the flip side, cannot be controlled by anyone, and his own sexuality and gender roles are even more questionable than Jonathan’s or Minae. When Jonathan finds himself a victim to the brides, it is the Count, a man, who comes to his rescue, but his intentions are not in order to save a fellow man (as a general protective motion towards masculinity itself) but because: “This man belongs to me! Beware how you meddle with him, or you’ll have to deal with me!” which brings his intentions into question, and further inquiring (or hinting at) about his sexuality as the narrative continues: “Then the Count turned, after looking at my face attentively and said in a soft whisper:- “Yes, I too can love;”(Stoker, 33). This is after Jonathan finds himself being served dinner by Dracula, rather than the brides, although he does not seem to find this behavior strange, which serves as a set up for the question of the Count’s own sexual roles, as later he goes on using deceptive techniques to seduce the women whose blood he drinks. In the Victorian society that the novel is set, it is women who use the deceptive techniques and the secrecy to blur the genders and try to obtain equality in terms of gender.

Men like Quincy, use strength, and other men, like Van Helsing, use knowledge, but not cleverness or seduction. Investigation of Critical Article During the Victorian Era, women struggled to attain gender equality by challenging the traditional roles that defined them. These women no longer wanted to remain passive and obey the demands of their husbands nor are domestic and the caretakers of their children. They strived to attain the role of a “New Woman”, an intelligent, liberated individual who was able to openly express her ideas. Whereas some women were successful in attaining this new role, others were still dominated by their male counterparts.

The men felt threatened by the rising power of women and repressed them by not allowing them to work, giving them unnecessary medications, and diagnosing them with hysteria (Senf). When reading Bram Stoker's Dracula through gender lenses, this rising power, specifically sexual power, is apparent. After Dracula bites Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray (Stoker 340), they are liberated from their conventional womanly roles and transformed into new sexual creatures; new because sexuality was usually ascribed to men. The men feel threatened by this blurring of the traditional, male-defined gender boundary and therefore returned the women, by killing Dracula, to a manner that was prescribed as culturally appropriate for their sex (Senf). This form of repression kept Lucy and Mina from attaining the role of the “New Woman”.

Conclusion

Dracula, in one aspect, is a novel about the types of Victorian women and the representation of them in Victorian English society. Stoker uses Mina and Lucy to confirm his sexist Victorian beliefs about the roles of men and women in society. The social construct of the time involved women being inferior to men in all areas of life, with the exception of childbearing and child upbringing. Their value was only seen in their maternal qualities and their submissiveness to men. Through Mina's character, Stoker exhibits the ideal, virtuous, Victorian woman and shows, through her survival, what the benefits of following this model are. By examining the characters of Mina, Lucy, and the daughters of Dracula, we begin to see how Stoker and other Victorians view what they considered to be the ideal Victorian woman. The representation of Mina shows the ideal Victorian woman through purity and intelligence. The three daughters of Dracula represent the evil and social stigma surrounding the impure and hyper-sexual woman in Victorian society. Lucy represents the possibilities for women in Victorian society to go from pure to impure. The end of this novel is the restoration of a world as the Victorians know it: the vampire destroyed, the women rid of their evil sexual desires and kept out of the dangerous world outside their homes, and the men safe and free in a male-dominated world, playing their exclusive gallant, intelligent, and adventurous roles.

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For all of its greatness in character development, storytelling, concept, etc., Stoker has written a novel that served as a timely social commentary on women during the Victorian Era.

Education is a crucial aspect of everyone's life that separates humans from other living beings on earth. It empowers people and prepares them to face the challenges of life efficiently. However, education still remains a luxury rather than a necessity in many countries, including ours. Therefore, it is essential to spread educational awareness throughout the country to make education accessible to everyone. So in this essay we will discuss on the importance of education in 300 words.

Education is the most significant tool in eliminating poverty and unemployment. Furthermore, it enhances the industrial situation and benefits the country as a whole. The higher the level of education in a country, the better the chances of development are.

In addition, education also benefits an individual in multiple ways. It helps a person make informed decisions based on their knowledge, thereby increasing their success rate in life. Education also provides career opportunities that can enhance the quality of life.

Moreover, education makes a person independent and self-sufficient. It enables them to earn for themselves and lead a good life. Education also enhances a person's self-confidence and makes them sure of things in life.

Education serves as the key that unlocks numerous doors leading to success. An educated person has many job opportunities available, and they can choose from a variety of options. Most importantly, education positively influences our understanding and helps us look at things from multiple viewpoints. However, one should always remember that education does not guarantee success.

In conclusion, education enhances a person's skills, enhances their mind and ability to make rational decisions, and promotes personal growth. It also improves the economic growth of a country and helps build a better society for its citizens. Education is a powerful tool that breaks the darkness of ignorance and brings light to the world.

Argumentative Essay: Is It Better to Keep Quiet or Speak Up?

Quick! What is the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights? What is America known for? It’s freedom of speech. We did not travel across another continent just to continue to be silenced! It should be remembered that speaking up for oneself is important because it builds character, draws attention to one’s values, and is more beneficial than staying silent.

In movies and culture, people admire those with loud, strong voices. Anyone can be that respectable figure if one gains the courage to speak their mind. If one shuts out their thoughts from the rest of the world, they are too feeble to gain any respect because they do not have enough self-respect to stop people from hurting them. Public speaking is often taken as a class because it is that crucial to offer one’s thoughts and develop bravery. In contrast, keeping to oneself out of shyness gets nothing done, so people should practice being comfortable with having their thoughts expressed. Otherwise, one will just have to live with the regret that something could have been different but they settled for less.

Expressing perspectives on any issue is important because it sheds light on what are the values of the society. As seen through the Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter, and other protest movements, many benefits proceed from speaking up. Martin Luther King, who represented the black community, stood up for fundamental equal rights and treatment. His call to action presented lots of turmoil in the 1960’s but raised awareness that racism is an essential problem that must be stopped. With his voice among other black protestors, blacks and whites now integrate more peacefully fifty years later. Similarly in the Black Lives Matter movement, there has recently been a skyrocket in attention to how the police should keep watch of communities, eventually raising debates over gun laws. Had neither of these movements formed to express thousands of communities’ desires for freedom, the world would be a much more backwards place today.

The main reason why speaking up is crucial is because some beneficial outcomes result from it in contrast to staying silent. When one does not express their views on an issue, it is like they don’t even exist. Their views will not be accounted for. Thus, a horrible decision can be made, meaning that silence can be approval for unfortunate happenings. For example, in presidential elections, many citizens remain at home instead of casting their ballots because they believe that their one vote is nothing compared to millions of other voters. However, this inactive type of thinking is destructive. Because thousands of other voters think the same thing, eventually in majorly controversial elections, candidates can win by two votes, all because a few people thought their opinion did not matter. What happened to consent of the governed? Instead, one should be more confident because the little changes that everyone performs accumulates into one big change. As such, if more people spoke up, the American people could have had Al Gore as the president instead of George Bush.

Consequently, the next time a triggering issue arises, one should express their opinion to demonstrate courage and induce positive future change. New opinions lead to new ideas which lead to a successful future.

What is dance? This essay will answer in 100 words. Dance is an art that involves movement to a rhythmic count or music, often conveying a story to the audience. There are various styles of dance, such as contemporary, jazz, and tap. While contemporary dances are flowy and allow for smooth changes in direction, jazz involves low movements and body isolations, and tap creates rhythmic sounds from specific steps with tap shoes. Each style has a unique way of expressing emotions and telling stories. Dance is more than just simple movements on stage; it conveys a deeper meaning and evokes emotions from the audience.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Access to Technology
3. Conclusion

Introduction

In New Guinea, the concept of cargo, or technology, was one of innovation and function; for others, “cargo” became one of wealth and power. For local New Guinean politician Yali, the question became how did technology become disproportionately associated with white Europeans and not the black New Guineans? By exploring this issue in his novel Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond sought to dispel the antiquated theories that had traditionally explained this disparity using social Darwinism with more refined arguments related to environmental theory. Throughout his exploration of global societal development, three related theories or themes of development stuck out the most: geographic determinism, access or exposure to technology, and having an organized state. Although the question of advancement is not a new one, it is still widely theorized and, consequently integrated into other areas of society.

An example of this integration is Sid Meier’s Civilization V. Available for several operating systems, Civilization V is a turn-based game that initially allows the player(s) to choose the leadership and geography of their country and then subsequently makes choices that affect either its fruition or demise. There are four avenues one can take to satisfy a win condition: world domination, scientific research/innovation, cultural victory, or a diplomatic victory. All four of these win conditions are nuanced and must be pre-meditated to some extent even as a player begins the game. Through the themes laid out in Diamond’s novel, Yali’s innocent question can not only be answered by Civilization V but done in a way that lends to a unique, intimate understanding of geography, technology, and government each time a new game is played.

As stated by Diamond in the prologue, Europeans “simply had the good luck to live at a geographic location where they were likely to receive advances” (1999). As readers, we then gain an appreciation for the idiom “luck of the draw” because by no choice were Europeans geographically superior, only chance. Similarly, in the unexpanded version of Civilization V, you are prompted to choose from eighteen nations with corresponding leaders when beginning the game. This selection then determines your relative geographic location on the map; once in the general area, you may choose where you settle your first city. After establishing your nation, you can expand your borders through exploration while simultaneously gauging what natural resources and animals reside within your borders and areas nearby. Much like in Guns, Germs, and Steel this randomly simulated resource and animal presence in combination with the pre-determined location illustrates the theme of geographic determinism because through chance you are provided with your initial resource and animal presence which ultimately lend to your eventual success or failure. In both the game and novel, the presence of certain resources serves as antecedents to other events that inevitably influences your entire nation’s trajectory. For example, in my first game I started for this course I had an abundance of lucrative natural resources and several different types of animals in my country. The presence of these led me to being extremely friendly with the bordering nations because they wanted access to some of what I had. Additionally, I was able to easily add more people to my nation and sustain them – which allowed my focus to be put on other things such as developing advanced technologies.

Access to Technology

In Guns, Germs, and Steel there are several instances when a disparity in technology significantly influences two groups’ interactions. For example, Diamond tells of a small group of Spanish explorers led by Francisco Pizarro overthrowing tens of thousands of Incas led by Atahuallpa (1999). This seemingly impossible feat was secured because Pizarro’s men had guns, steel swords and armor, and horses to ride in on while Atahuallpa’s men had slingshots, wood, and quilted armor. This story of technological superiority quickly manifested in my game play as well.

In the game, you are presented with a technology tree that offers several paths; after assessing what you have been provided with, you can then decide which path to follow. With the presence of silver and animals in my nation, I wanted to begin by pursuing mining and animal husbandry; however, I also needed calendars for agriculture and archery for protection from barbarians and other potential invaders. Because the game only allows you to pursue one technology at a time, my access to certain technologies took precedence over others, forcing me to create a hierarchy of needs. My primary focus became mining silver, because I had two deposits of it in my first settlement; I began my tech tree with mining (which I later used for leverage) and then shifted my focus to animal husbandry and pottery to pursue domestication and calendars. After successfully achieving mining, one of my neighboring countries asked to form an alliance with me and offered to pay me gold every turn for access to some of my silver. This was an important event because my first interaction with them was less than friendly, but my technological superiority re-oriented my relationship with them. While my first technology gave me an economic and diplomatic advantage, the latter two technologies ultimately oriented me towards a scientific advancement win.

As articulated by Diamond, the catalyzing variable or “prerequisite” to his “guns, germs, and steel” discourse is the establishment of agriculture and food production (1999). The argument is that once food security is ascertained and a sedentary way of life is established, all other more advanced elements of society like specialization can then become priority. In short, an increase in crops leads to an increase in calories which leads to an increase in people; in order to be successful as a nation, a growing population is typically centralized and specialized.

As previously stated, my geographic advantages allowed me the luxury of diplomacy with surrounding nations, financial security because of the gold those nations paid me for my silver, and the ability to acquire several additional technologies because my needs were being met. Almost exactly how Diamond suggested, I began to organize my state by increasing workers, citizens, and military size. Additionally, to the extent that the game let me, I worked on instilling social policies that engendered a heightened sense of patriotism (e.g. loyalty and freedom) while also making my people as happy as possible. For the duration of the game, I was ranked as the top world leader because my people were consistently happy and well provided for. Only a handful of times did I encounter conflict with other nations and had no problem overthrowing them or handling the situation diplomatically. This organization I instilled in my nation enabled me to not worry about any negative effects on my people and continue building my nation to reach its full potential.

There are some that might argue that it is impossible to for Civilization V to answer Yali’s question due to the game not including enough variables or being simulated via formulas designed by someone without a comprehensive working knowledge of the history of the world. For example, one of the best opportunities to diminish the strength of my argument is that Civilization V does very little to incorporate the “germs” component of Diamond’s theory. An in-depth component of the book, Diamond discusses how humans meet diseases in myriad ways (like sheep!) and the subsequent effects of such interactions (1999). While understanding the consequences of disease to the human population is important, I believe this is to be an unnecessary inclusion in the game because it is an inherently better understood process than those included in my argument due to its salience in modern society. In addition to this salience, disease would prolong the game and reduce its efficacy as a learning tool.

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Conclusion

Two men, one question: how did society evolve into what it is today? Ultimately, the driving force behind Yali’s question was simple: what variables predicate the success of a nation? While the question may seem deceptively easy to answer, it has caused hundreds of years of debate. Among other things, Jared Diamond uses personal anecdotes, case studies, and geographical trends to help bolster his arguments for Yali’s question; alternatively, Civilization V lets you make the decisions that follow a very similar trajectory. While it is obvious that it is impossible to replicate any of Diamond’s arguments verbatim via computer simulation, the game does reinforce the enduring themes of geographic determinism, access to technology, and the importance of an organized state that are contained in the novel. Thus, the union of these themes and the intimate understanding of what kind of decision making goes into them lends the Civilization player with a unique advantage to answering Yali’s question.

Organ donation is a pure act of kindness. However, it is often debated about whether it should be mandatory or not. Donating your organ is a social cause which is all together a decision of the person who is willing to donate his or her organ. Saving lives is the noblest thing a person can do, and an organ donor can save the lives of eight people so it is a cause without harm and help for others. It is a privilege to be able to help out the person who is in need of organs even after you are dead.

Every year thousands of people receive a gift of life, lifesaving transplant of heart, kidney, liver, lungs or intestines and many other people receive corneas and tissues. Transplantation is one of the great medical advancement of our times. It all starts when someone’s organs begin to fail and that person is in a need of transplant to survive. A thorough evaluation is conducted at a transplantation center and if the person is a healthy candidate for a transplant he or she will be put on the national transplant waiting list, once a person is on the list the wait for an organ begins. A national system matches people on the waiting list with donors and the factors considered in matching donors and recipients including blood type, size of the body, how sick they are, and distance from donors. Because the waiting list is very long and there are not enough organ donors. Eighteen people die each day when in need of organ and not finding it at the right time.

A donor can turn the time of loss into time of hope. One person can give life to as many as 8 people through organ donation. A person willing to save a person’s life through organ donation will have a privilege to say that “I saved someone’s life.” The donor can donate their organs for free because the procurement agency takes care of all the expenses.

The motive behind the selection of this specific topic is the drama series “BREATHE” which conveyed the meaningful message from which I got inspired to select this particular topic. The series showed how one organ donor can save many lives not only the patient but the patient’s family members as well. Moreover, this series has a negative point which was the father’s character, who in order to save his son’s life, went beyond the limits to steal the organ in an inappropriate manner. However, Jordan baker (2012) says that it was found that the generations who are most likely in need of organs are the least likely to be registered organ donors. Certainly there are some people who would not qualify as donors because of health problems, but for the rest of us, it is a duty to donate for people in need. Organ donation however should not be mandatory, but we could do something to encourage a culture of people who want to donate.

Many people wait for years for compatible organs to become available. The need for organ donors is growing. Donate and save a life, how would you feel if your cardiologist told you that you have six months to live unless a compatible heart became available soon. This is what thousands of people are told everyday and then put on a transplant list out of which most of the people wait for months and even years before a match becomes available. Can you imagine what it feels like to get a death sentence like this and to see the light at the end of a tunnel and to know that a millions of people are capable of saving life and nobody is stepping up? Many of these people could have a happy ending but the grim reality is that many don’t and many won’t. On the other hand, families of such people plead for organs because of compelled situation in order to save their beloved one’s life.

Furthermore, people do not likely to donate organs because they think it is against their religious point of view. However, according to Islam: There is no clear verse that states that organ donation is permitted in Islam but according to a conference it is revealed that if you want to donate organs to the needy people then three conditions must be satisfied; the organ should be a gift to a person only for the purpose to save his/her life, the person who is donating the organ should not do it for economical reason, after a person donates organ it should not cause a loss of his life, for example, as it is scientifically proven that human body has 2 kidneys and on one kidney a person can lead normal life so he can donate the other kidney to the person who is in need. In Quran it is clearly stated that saving one’s life is equal to saving an entire humanity. Moreover, Zubeida Mustafa (2016) says that a humanitarian character and a role model of millions of people, Abdul Sattar Edhi who recently passed away, donated his corneas after death and inspired many people to donate their organs. Transplantation society of Pakistan tells us that after the Edhis’s eye donation public learnt that organ donation is indeed a good deed and in this year 504 more people came forward to donate their organs.

Haripriya Suresh, an Indian boy, in January 2018 had a cystic fibroses which causes the weakness of lungs due to which he needed an organ transplant within one month. So he was registered on the recipient list on the fourth number which obviously took long time to get on number one. The boy was with a rare blood group which is AB- negative which is why he had to suffer because of unavailability of organ donors especially with this particular blood group, despite of waiting for so long he could not get the right donor on the right time therefore he lost his life due to the organ shortage.

On May 2016, Sharad and Patel, had an unfortunate accident. One of them got brutally injured and was declared brain dead by doctors. On the other hand, in different city, a little girl was suffering from congenital heart disease and needed urgent heart transplant. The parents of that girl were hopelessly searching for heart donor and they came to know that there is a boy with brain dead condition so they start pleading to his parents to donate his heart to their daughter but they immediately refused as they did not consider their son to be dead. When the doctor suggested them to donate the boy’s heart, as he would not be able to survive anymore, they considered the emotional appeal of the girl’s parents and agreed to donate his heart.

Rachael Rettner (September 2018). An extraordinary case which occurred in Europe and in this case cancer spread from organ donor to four people. It all begins with a 53 year old organ donor woman who died from a stroke but after 16 months, a woman who received lung transplant became ill and found out that she had breast cancer. Analysts revealed that these cells had come from lungs which were donated by 53 year old lady. And in 2011, the liver transplant patient came to know that she had breast cancer cells in liver, the patient was scared to face another transplant and eventually that patient died in 2012.After six years of transplantation, patient who received a left kidney was diagnosed with breast cancer died because the cancer had spread in many other organs. And another 32 year old man died after 10 years of transplantation surgery.

Gabrielle Johnston, Ike Golfing, a 52 year old man who had recently suffered for a heart attack and a bypass surgery underwent another heart attack which made a heavy toll on his body. He started getting sicker day by day to the extent that his heart became too weak to pump blood. That is when the doctor told him about the transplant and then the wait began. He and his wife, Linda moved near Arizona Medical Center to be closer if the heart arrived. But the days turned to weeks and then to months when he started losing hope. Linda encouraged him to look over the better things in life and he tried but the feeling of knowing that his heart could stop at any moment was much more frightening as it sounds and the pager which he had to wear and which never made him forget about his condition and how any day he could get a beep informing him about his new heart. One day when he was laying on his bed the pager started to beep like never before. He got scared like never before. Just like that, within 24 hours, he went from a 57 year old man with the weakest heart to a perfectly healthy one. As he lay on his bed he realized a smile on his face because now he had his life ahead of him without the fear of dying at any second.

From one article, Alexa Kersting, a girl who at the age of 7 she was diagnosed with a lung disease to which she needed a transplant and at the age of 12 developed pulmonary hypertension because of the long waiting of her organ to be transplanted. She was a brave and courageous little girl who would think about all the things she will do after her transplant. Unfortunately the waiting never ended, and by the age of 14, she died. She was a talented young girl, as her father says who the family loved with all their heart and how ever since she passed away, there has been an empty hole. The mother says “When you’re a parent, you expect to be a parent for a long time, and it’s hard to figure out a life without her.”

Ernest, a 60 year old organ donor saved the lives of five people when he passed away. His wife says that he was a person who loved life and how everyone should enjoy this journey. Ernest was committed to donate his organs and he used to say as he will pass away, the family should put all of his assets to good use. When he unexpectedly died at the age of 61, his family did exactly what he desired, even though it was a difficult process but they are all proud of him for making that decision and saving lives there on.

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In my opinion, as much as I value organ donation, I don’t think making it mandatory is fair. It is just as same as when somebody dies we cannot loot their houses or their properties in the same way we cannot loot their organs from their bodies until and unless they want to donate it. It is not our duty to donate organs for the sake of money or other beneficial purpose it is not even right in religious perspective but when somebody needs an organ and it is no longer in use for the person who wants to donate then it will be a responsibility to help the person who is in need. Donating organs is a choice and should not be mandatory. The only thing that should be mandatory is for the family to have to donate the organs of someone who chose to be organ donor before dying.

Works Cited

1. Baker, J. (2012). Organ donation: An act of kindness. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 132(6), 273–274.
2. Donate Life America. (n.d.). Why Donate
3. Edhi Foundation. (n.d.). About Abdul Sattar Edhi. https://edhi.org/about-abdul-sattar-edhi/
4. Government of Canada. (2021, March 30). Organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada: System performance report 2021.
5. Harvard Health Publishing. (2020, December 11). How to become an organ donor. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-become-an-organ-donor
6. Mayo Clinic. (2021, February 25). Organ donation: Don't let these myths confuse you. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/organ-donation/in-depth/organ-donation/art-20047529
7. National Kidney Foundation. (n.d.). Facts about kidney disease.
8. OrganDonor.gov. (n.d.). Register to be an organ donor.
9. The Transplantation Society of Pakistan. (2016, August 7). 504 Pakistanis pledge organ donation in 2016 after Edhi's example.
10. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, February 4). Organ donation statistics.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Discussion
3. Conclusion

Introduction

In this essay, I will be discussing the whether or not we perpetuate the stereotypes of Africa by reading ‘A long way gone’. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (2007) is a memoir written by Ishmael Beah, an author from Sierra Leone. The book is a firsthand account of Beah's time as a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone (1990s).

Discussion

Ishmael Beah ran away from his village at the age of 12 after it was attacked by rebels, and he became forever separated from his immediate family. Later own his was forced him to join their army and brainwashed him into taking drugs and using guns. I believe that as a reader of this novel myself I have begun to acquire a prejudice of violence and hatred surrounding Africa which I know is not true. Racially stereotyping consists of constructed beliefs that all members of the same race share the same characteristics and lifestyle (usually meant negatively). I will be looking into both the benefits of A long way gone and the disadvantages.

I do not think that books, news articles etc. should always only focus on the poverty and the lower development of Africa because you can’t just base the whole of the diverse range of culture in Africa on a few stereotypes since this is what many people still believe Africa to be, a war zone, even though it has developed tremendously. I believe that to an extent A long way gone does perpetuate racial stereotypes because it does enforce negative stereotypes although this book could also be seen as an exception given this particular topic.

This book is written in the perspective of someone who has gone through this experience and I believe that it is his right, as a previous child soldier to be able to share it however he wants whether it is in a negative way or positive, and if it weren't for books like 'A long way gone' nobody would be as informed about this situation. I also think that in some cases throughout the book Ishmael actually did the opposite of enforcing stereotypes of Africa as a whole, since his characters are all written with a lot of depth since it is from a perspective of someone who was present in the war and not someone who is influenced by racial shallow stereotypes to develop their characters.

With all that being said I also believe that certain audiences could view this book differently. Since some could think that this book only attempts to portray the negative side of Africa, it is giving out a view of Africa in a whole as a war zone where all the children are stolen from homes and either killed or turned into child soldiers. And the readers could also start to acquire a prejudice of violence and hatred surrounding Africa if they are not from there, been there or more informed since many stories that are told from Africa are about tragedies and not so much bliss.

This is why I do not think that books, news articles etc. should always only focus on the poverty and the lower development of Africa because you can’t just base the whole of the diverse range of culture in Africa on a few stereotypes or else African stereotypes will never change and it will always just continue to be a low developed war zone with violence and disease which it is not since Africa is continuously developing and improving its economical and political status.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that although ‘A long way Gone’ does perpetuate the stereotypical notions on Africa. I still feel that A Long Way Gone stands out from the rest of the books because of its author and his unique experiences. In a continent where journalistic interest appears disappointingly low, Ishmael Beah’s personal memoir is an important testament to the children who continue to be conscripted into armies and militias today.

A Streetcar Named Desire is at its surface, an undoubtedly heterosexual play. Allan Grey, its unseen gay character, makes homosexuality a seemingly marginal topic within the play. But a deeper reading of the text suggests the opposite. Tennessee Williams uses heterosexual characters as surrogates to discuss queer sexuality in a time when homosexuality was a taboo, and typically discussed through metaphor.

Allan is merely a footnote in the plot of Streetcar but thematically, he’s a vital character. Georges-Claude Guilbert explains his significance in“Queering and Dequeering the Text,” Allan fits several gay stereotypes without being “the least bit effeminate-looking.” He exemplifies gay stereotypes through the “dead queer motif, a trope commonly employed by Williams in his plays. This trope equates the lonely “poet maudit” to a “monster, freak or mad(wo)man,” and therefore queer. So although his purpose is mainly expositional, it establishes homosexuality as a presence within the text. Williams uses Allan to frame desire beyond the binary of straight men and straight women, facilitating queer interpretations of the text.

In his analysis of The House of Bernarda Alba, Juan M. Godoy explains that gay playwrights often express homosexual desire through heterosexual female characters. When I first read the article, I felt his analysis was simplistic and stereotypical. I agreed that Adela was a highly dramatic character, but she didn’t seem campy enough to be interpreted as a drag queen. Godoy’s analysis seemed like it focused more on the author’s sexuality than the text itself. But when I read A Streetcar Named Desire, I thought his analysis described Blanche perfectly. He also describes Pepe el Romano as “the character who incarnates the object of desire.” The same could be said about Stanley Kowalski. Williams doesn’t characterize Stanley as a well-rounded character. He characterizes Stanley as the embodiment of visceral sexuality; a focal point for gay men and straight women.

If there’s a woman in theatre that could be described as a drag queen, it’s Blanche Dubois. Godoy cites Susan Sontag’s explanation that while camp isn’t used “exclusively” by gay writers, it’s an “aesthetic stance” used “more often by them than others. Godoy focuses his discussion on camp around exaggeration and artifice. Tennessee Williams uses artifice and exaggeration to full effect when characterizing Blanche, which makes him a perfect example of a gay playwright using the camp aesthetic. Guilbert and Godoy make similar arguments, with Guilbert mentioning how Blanche has “often been seen” as a man in drag. Blanche’s aversion to harsh lighting and obsession over her fading youth and glamour is campy, regardless of whether she was written as a drag queen or gay man. Guilbert categorizes Streetcar as “the tragedy of the ageing queen,” another trope used extensively by Williams. To Guilbert, an ageing movie star, drag queen, and Southern Belle are all the same narrative: each have “banked on glamour, dealt in hyper-femininity for years, and find their powers of seduction faded.”

John S. Bak mentions in his analysis of A Streetcar Named Desire and M. Butterfly, that while clothing isn’t used to “signify the gayness” of Allan, it’s used instead to “construct” the identities of heterosexual characters in Streetcar. Aside from her preference for white clothing, Blanche dresses herself more like a drag queen than a Southern Belle or schoolteacher. While rifling through her luggage, Stanley pulls out “inexpensive summer furs,” fake pearl necklaces, and a rhinestone tiara. This is consistent with the camp component of artifice. Blanche desperately tries to appear upper-class but fails miserably. Even her “pretty white dress” is an example of drag. She uses it to present herself as virginal, an identity threatened by cola stains and an awareness of her past.

In “There Was Something Different About the Boy” Queer Subversion in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire,” Francisco Costa argues that “the queer subversiveness of Streetcar resides namely to a great extent in its social, political and historical context.” More realistically, it’s these social forces which forced the play to be subversive. Like Guilbert, he argues the “theme of homosexuality in Streetcar is “more crucial to the play than most critics recognize. Historical context gives additional significance to Blanche’s affair with her underage student as an indicator of homosexual themes. When Streetcar premiered, Gay men were viewed as sexual predators. And women being punished for their sexual relationships was already a common trope in literature, but this particular situation would have been especially relevant to gay audience in light of its historical context.

Blanche may pursue young men in an attempt to regain her fleeting youth, but it’s worth noting that Allan’s sexual partner was an older man. By sleeping with a high school student, Blanche switches the roles, fulfilling the desires of an older gay man. If Godoy is correct that gay writers express their sexuality through female characters, it’s no coincidence that Blanche has a preference for younger men.

But more importantly, Williams creates a parallel between straight women and gay men. Desire leads Allan and Blanche to similar destinations, suicide and a mental hospital. Both scenarios are associated with mental illness. In 1947, gay sex was a criminal act and homosexuals were considered mentally ill until 1973. At this time, Women were still lobotomized against their will. Committing Blanche to a mental institution was a powerful image, especially for gay men and straight women in the audience. They could sympathize with Blanche’s fate. Unlike Stella and Stanley, Blanche and Allan didn’t comply with the patriarchal norms of their time and were therefore punished.

Guilbert mentions the significance of the poker motif, especially through the play’s final line. “In 1947, studs rule, ‘real men’ control the game, and queers and dissolute women lose.” Williams presents poker as a masculine activity which highlights Mitch’s alterity. He stands out among the crowd of excessively masculine personalities. The other men like Stanley and Pablo are crude, but Mitch is noticeably well-mannered. He wants to go home and take care of his mother but Stanley makes fun of him, suggesting they’ll “fix [him] a sugar-tit.” Mitch can be interpreted as either a closeted homosexual or as an alternative view of heterosexual masculinity. Mitch and Allan share certain personality traits including sentimentality and an appreciation for poetry. It could be argued that neither character seems interested in women. Mitch only dates Blanche to appease his dying mother. To Guilbert, Allan reminds audiences that homosexuals “could be lurking anywhere.” Anyone, including your husband, could be gay “without you ever expecting.” Mitch’s unclear sexual orientation might serve the same purpose.

While Stella is the opposite of Blanche, Mitch is the opposite of Stanley. This parallelism might indicate that Mitch should be viewed as heterosexual, yet nonconforming in his masculine identity since the same could be said about Blanche in comparison to Stella. Mitch is also offended that Blanche kept her scandalous past a secret. He may have thought there was potential for a legitimate relationship. So it’s unclear whether he dated Blanche as a cover-up; the pressure for him to get married could have been a catalyst to date Blanche. Still, if Mitch were a closeted gay man trying to convincingly appear straight, he would probably want to date a woman his mother would find respectable. This ambiguity may have been intentional. Williams didn’t need audiences to know Mitch was gay, he may have wanted audiences to ask that question themselves.

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A Streetcar Named Desire may lend itself to queer interpretation, but it would be overly simplistic to consider it a simple metaphor for homosexual desire. By focusing primarily on heterosexual characters, Tennessee Williams shows audience that gay and straight desire aren’t foreign concepts. His commentary on gender relations and sexuality transcends the social and political contexts of 1947, proving its continued relevance in the literary canon.

References

1. Shackelford, D. (2000). Is There a Gay Man in This Text?: Subverting the Closet in A Streetcar Named Desire. In Literature and Homosexuality (pp. 135-159). Brill. (https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004483460_010)
2. Piccirillo, A. (2018). Hiding Behind the Closet Door: Representations of the Homosexual Experience in A Streetcar Named Desire. The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, 19(1), 6. (https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/ur/vol19/iss1/6/)
3. Næss, H. L. (2012). It Was Too Rare To Be Normal: The Impact of Off-Stage Characters, Homosexuality and Homophobia in A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Master's thesis). (http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-32036)
4. Khasanah, Y. U. (2009). The representation of Tennessee Williams' psychological conflict in A Streetcar Named Desire (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Negeri Malang). (http://repository.um.ac.id/244740/)
5. Peters, B. M. (2006). Queer Semiotics of Expression: Gothic Language and Homosexual Destruction in Tennessee Williams’s “One Arm” and “Desire and the Black Masseur”. The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, (8). (https://www.proquest.com/openview/1fb2be842a427329e9ed2f2ca4a8433c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=4759395)

Writer Oscar Wilde once said: “A mask tells us more than a face.” Throughout history, lies and masks have been a means to an end in achieving the goals of women who are limited in their current situations – social, political, or economical. Women traditionally cannot simply lash out in moments of angry frustration. The strict manners of behavior of the ancient times prohibit them from doing so. Instead they choose the same method of defense through deception that has been used by animals and humans alike for thousands of year – the disguise.

Whether verbal, physical, or emotional, these disguises enable women to proceed with their plans while diverting any suspicion away from themselves. Medea hides her malicious, murderous intentions behind a shield of tears and emotion as a scorned wife. In the Bible, Judith transforms herself from a widow into a beautiful seductress in order to behead the Assyrian general Holofernes.

Yet is not her physical changes which brings her success like the assemblywomen, but rather the lies she generates to gain entrance into the enemy camp and the sweet praises she uses to lure in the unsuspecting Holofernes before she violently kills him. Praxagora and the women of The Ecclesiazusae dress themselves in literal disguises – as men toting fake beards and thick robes – so that they can bring about a tide of political changes, installing the women as the new leaders and correcting their problematic government in hopes of steering their ship of state into the right direction.

Each of these women face challenges and each of them take the unconventional route. They forge their disguises into armor and string together webs of deception to solve their problems and draw their unsuspecting enemies into violent traps of vengeance. In Medea by Euripides, The Book of Judith, and The Ecclesiazusae by Aristophanes, the various strategies of disguises and deception are utilized in Medea’s emotional mask, Judith’s twisting words, and Praxagora’s clever physical costuming as a means to achieving their ultimate goals of victory over those who have wronged them.

Euripides paints Medea as a complex character in the way she changes roles over the course of the tragedy. Her behavior is not unlike the way a chameleon changes the color of its skin, adapting to the situation of her marriage as it changes. Her thoughts, her emotions are multifaceted, masks and shields as she decides to carry out vengeance against those who have taken away her family and her position of nobility as the wife of Jason. She has been misused and mistreated, her sacrifices to further her husband have all been for naught for the weakness of his character drives him into marriage with the princess of Corinth.

Her reputation for anger and murder are well known among Creon and Medea’s staff, who fear her lashes of fury. “She is a deep thinker, you know, and she will not put up with this kind of abuse.I know her and I am terrified that in silence entering the house where the bed is laid she might thrust a sharp sword through the heart or kill the princess and the one who married her and then suffer some greater tragedy. She is frightening. It won't be easy for an enemy to come out victorious in a battle with her” (Euripides 37-44).

Medea knows that she will not find the satisfaction of justice she so desperately craves in snapping blind anger. Instead, she uses her intelligence, her cold and calculated nature, to construct a surprising façade of emotions. She plays the role of grieving mother perfectly. She replaces usually anger with crying sadness. “She won't eat; she just gives in to her grief, washing away all her hours in tears, ever since she realized her husband had abandoned her” (Euripides 23-25). Her sorrow touches the heart of the children’s Nurse who begins to take pity on her situation rather than assume that she will jump to violence.

She cries shrilly out for the gods to kill her rather than suffer her fate. “Oh Zeus and Earth and Light, hurl your fiery bolt of lightning straight through my skull. What use is life to me? Aah, aah. Let me die and leave this life I hate” (Euripides 142-146). Never once does she reveal her secret plot. Medea instead gives speeches of pathos, appealing to the women of Corinth. “I am cast adrift. I have lost all pleasure in living and I want to die, my friends. The man who was everything to me, try to understand this, has turned out to be the vilest man alive, my own husband. Of all creatures that have life and reason we women are the sorriest lot” (Euripides 225-230).

Medea reigns in her temper and begs for Creon to change his ways, even though he expresses his fear for her retaliation. She becomes like one of his subjects in order to his favor. She pretends to agree with his choice and understand his justification for the marriage. “I suffer the envy of some, and to others I am a rival; but I am not so very clever. And then you are afraid of me. What harm can you suffer from me? It is not in my power — don't be afraid of me, Creon — to do wrong to the royal family. What wrong have you done me? You married your daughter to the man you chose for her” (Euripides 302-309).

She waves a false white flag of peace, telling him that she has accepted her defeat and has no intention of harming her former husband. Creon is the only one who sees through the act she puts on. He knows that she is forming a secret plan and she will not just go without a fight. She weeps and pleads with him but he continues to refuse her requests. In secret, his rejections only add kindling to her revenge. “Do you think that I would ever have fawned on him if not to get something or with some plan in mind?

I would not even have spoken to him or touched his hands. He has reached such a state of recklessness, that though he could have destroyed all my plans by forcing me out of the country, he has allowed me to remain this one day, in which I will turn three of my enemies” (Euripides 367-373). She plots behind closed doors “with deceit and in silence proceed to the murder” (Euripides 390). Her evil plot of bloodshed and corpses sits simmering behind her teary eyed mask, although at times it can be difficult to keep the anger from seeping into her words.

Her disguise is not tangible. She uses her emotions to throw off suspicion of a surprise attack on the new bride and groom. She creates confusion by going against her reputation and becoming the traditional wife she actually is not. Everyone expects her to be yelling and angry, not shrill with tears falling down her face. Her cold, intelligent mind is necessary for not only the brutal murder of her children but it also makes it much easier to put the different masks of her personality when the need may be. She skillfully lies to her husband, lulling him into a false sense of security. “In contemplating these things I realized I was suffering delusion and that my rage was in vain. I accept it now.

You seem to me to be acting logically in bringing us this marriage alliance, and I was foolish” (Euripides 881-884). His inability to recognize the lies spewing from her mouth causes him to believe her and she uses her position as his former wife and their relationship as points of emphasis in her appeal of pathos. He makes the mistake of trusting that these emotions she is producing are true. Medea’s tears, her emotional state, carry as much power as the sword she uses to slay her own children. Without her pretend blubbering sorrow, she would not be able to carry out the brutal plot. She tailors her behavior to each person she speaks – she acts as submissive and full of praises in front of Creon. She addresses Jason in a firm yet reassuring manner as to convince him of her compliance with the new marriage.

In front of the important people who have and still continue to decide her fate, she presents herself with the sugary smile of the perfect housewife with daggers just out of sight tucked behind her teeth. Her constant shifting of speech and feeling make her a threat to those who have wronged her and ultimately they all fall into the trap she has created with her tears and false offerings of peace and understanding. Although her physical appearance never changes over the duration of her play, she puts on a show of various emotions in order to mask her sharp intelligence and true barbaric nature.

Judith, in the Book of Judith in the Bible, arms herself with words. As her fellow Israelites grow weaker under the strain of the siege placed on them by the general Holofernes and his army, Judith prays with them in hopes of some salvation. Her words, her pleas up to God are necessary strengths in order to go to Holofernes and save Jerusalem. “By guile of my lips strike down slave with master, and master with retainer. Break their pride by a woman's hand” (Book of Judith. 9. 481-482). When the Israelites face depleting resources and starvation and the eminent domination of the Assyrian army, they too rely on words and prayers in hopes of protection and salvation.

“All the men of Israel cried most fervently to God and humbled themselves before him. They draped the altar itself in sackcloth and fervently joined together in begging the God of Israel not to let their children be carried off, their wives distributed as booty, the towns of their heritage destroyed, the Temple profaned and desecrated for the heathen to gloat over” (Jud. 4. 143-146). Judith, a pious widow who has been mourning her husband for three years, realizes that desperate prayers alone will not save her people. She is infuriated by the worshippers, who grow frustrate and angry, and berates them for believing that demanding rescue from God is the right thing to do. “You put the Lord Almighty to the test!

You do not understand anything, and never will. Although it may not be his will to help us within the next five days, he has the power to protect us for as many days as he pleases, just as he has the power to destroy us before our enemies. But you have no right to demand guarantees where the designs of the Lord our God are concerned. For God is not to be threatened as a human being is, nor is he, like a mere human, to be cajoled” (Jud. 8. 306-311).

She then decides to take matters into her own hands and allow her faith to be tested by Heaven. “You left their wives to be carried off, their daughters to be taken captive, and their spoils to be shared out among the sons you loved, who had been so zealous for you, had loathed the stain put on their blood and called on you for help. O God, my God, now heat this widow too; for you have made the past, and what is happening now, and what will follow. What is, what will be, you have planned; what has been, you designed” (Jud. 9. 464-468).

Judith is described as very beautiful, yet perpetually dressed in robes of mourning. She undergoes a transformation that echoes Praxagora’s own dramatic shift in appearance, exchanging her widow’s dress and sackcloth for perfumes and jewelry. However, she recognizes that looks alone will not get her into Holofernes’ tent. She knows that she needs to be “so lovely of face and so wise of speech” (Jud. 11. 600-601) in order to slay the general. Judith crafts her words into the perfect deception, she disguises herself in lies.

There is a biting irony to her words as she praises the Assyrian general and wishes a long life for him but she never once revealing her true intentions: “We have indeed heard of your genius and adroitness of mind. It is known everywhere in the world that throughout the empire you have no rival for ability, wealth of experience and brilliance in waging war” (Jud. 11. 565-567). She disguises herself into the ideal submissive woman for an egotistical man like Holofernes, “makes herself beautiful enough to beguile the eye of any man who saw her” (Jud. 10. 501) but with an eloquence and sophistication that commands respect.

The words she exchanges with Holofernes create the perfect mask for her secret plot to unfold, more than seductive beauty. She brushes off his inquiries over her lack of supplies with a sweet irony. “‘May your soul live, my lord,’ Judith answered, ‘the Lord will have used me to accomplish his plan, before your servant has finished these provisions’” (Jud. 12. 573-574). Her calm, direct way of addressing the general is as sharp and cool as the curved blade she takes to his neck. Her beauty “takes his soul prisoner” (Jud. 12. 747) after she had lured him into a false sense of security with her soothing language.

“'Who am I', Judith replied, 'to resist my lord? I shall not hesitate to do whatever he wishes, and doing this will be my joy to my dying day’” (Jud. 12. 596-597). Her beautiful face and her sugary words mask her true intentions. It is the perfect defense. As the Assyrian soldiers say: “‘who could despise a people who have women like this?’” (Jud. 10 . 538)? Her willingness to cooperate, to feed information to the enemy of Israel, makes her a desirable asset during the siege.

The beauty of her face causes everyone who encounters her to automatically assume that she is good and innocent, incapable of such a brutal execution yet it is the way she weaves her words around the unsuspecting Holofernes, flattering him and seducing him, that ultimately leads to her successful beheading of the Assyrian general. Her disguise in the form of lies and manipulation get her into Holofernes’ tent and ensures her success in saving her people from army that seeks to drive them to destruction.

In Aristophanes’ satire, The Ecclesiazusae, Praxagora is a Greek woman who has grown tired of the problematic Athenian government so she masterminds a rather unusual plan to correct these issues that had been unresolved by the men up until now. She, along with the other women of Athens, takes on literal disguises rather than the metaphorical ones of Judith and Medea. “When this is done, fix on your beards, and when they are arranged in the best way possible, dress yourselves in the cloaks you have stolen from your husbands; finally start off, leaning on your staffs and singing some old man's song as the villagers do” (Aristophanes 291-294).

Praxagora, their leader, relies on the stupidity of the men in order to succeed in making these political changes. She knows that they will be easily fooled and willingly comply with her proposition simply because it is one solution that they have not tried yet in repairing the various problems littered across the Athenian government. The new appearance gains her entrance into the assembly and now Paxagora can garner the votes she needs to completely change the Athenian government. Her group of female followers commit to their masks – discarding the traditional conventions of beauty and cleanliness for the sake of their city.

“I began by throwing away my razor, so that I might get quite hairy, and no longer resemble a woman” (Aristophanes 61-62). She believes that the women of Athens will do a much better job of running the city than the men ever had. Her disguise is of great importance of her cause. If her real identity were to be revealed, she and her fellow women would be subject to severe punishment. “Let us not forget to give ourselves this name and may that of woman never slip out of our mouths; woe to us, if it were discovered that we had laid such a plot in the darkness of night” (Aristophanes 304-306).

Although the eloquence of her argument will initiate agreement amongst the other members of the Assembly, it is absolutely necessary that she and the others be treated with respect. Their costumes give weight to their words. Praxagora’s speech would otherwise be disregarded if she appeared in front of the Assembly in her usual dress. Praxagora trades in her smooth complexion and beauty for political power and a false, all for the greater good. “Let us drive away these men of the city who used to stay at home and chatter round the table” (Aristophanes 314-315).

Her clever disguise proves successful in achieving the social and political changes she had been pursuing. She convinces the other men to establish a new system of socioeconomic equality, all lead and organized by the Athenian women. With the skill of an orator, she persuades the government to place the helm of authority in the hands of the Assemblywomen. “Let us therefore hand Athens over to them without endless discussions, without bothering ourselves about what they will do; let us simply hand them over the power, remembering that they are mothers and will therefore spare the blood of our soldiers; besides, who will know better than a mother how to forward provisions to the front? I omit a thousand other advantages.

Take my advice and you will live in perfect happiness” (Aristophanes 243-246). Praxagora, under the guise of a man, transforms the traditional submissive role of a Greek woman in a patriarchal society with the same dramatic change of her appearance. Unlike the men, Praxagora is adept at righting the wrongs of the corrupt government. She does not encourage the rowdy drinking habits. “That's why their decrees breathe of drunkenness and madness. And why libations, why so many ceremonies, if wine plays no part in them” (Aristophanes 153-154)?

Her focus is on equality and the greater good for the people of Athens who have unhappy for far too long in a useless corrupt government and she will go to the lengths that she does in her male costume to bring the benefits of wealth and success to all. Rather than remain a meek, obedient wife, she “will not easily let herself be deceived; she understands deceit too well herself” (Aristophanes 247-248) in the strength of her disguise and the arguments she brings to the Assembly to bring about a new political order.

Medea with her false tears and sugary praises, Judith with a tongue as sharp as the scimitar she takes to the exposed hollow of Holoferne’s throat, Paxagora with her stolen husband’s clothing and her false beard. Each of these women do not hide behind the cloak of their husbands but rather behind the strength of their plots and the sweet masks they wear before they strike down on those who have behaved unjustly towards them. They craft plans with keen intelligence whether their final goal is murder or a change in political systems. They do not shy away from a challenge or respond with boisterous anger. They maintain their false identities in the lies they tell, the disguises they wear, or the fake emotions they project.

They weave carefully through the forest towards success rather than cut and slash their way through with reckless wrath. Their cleaver use of disguises and deception demonstrate a determination to succeed, even when the odds of a patriarchal society, the power of noble families, and military force stand against them. Prematurely betraying the truth of their personality or letting slip their true intentions would bring unspeakable punishments and there is courage to the high level of commitment in Paxagora’s manly mannerisms, Judith’s honeyed seduction, and Medea’s dramatic pleas for pity.

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The women of these works mask themselves in makeup and kindness, dresses and deception. The lies they tell and the costumes they wear – literal and metaphorical – ultimately bring them victory. They ambitiously plan their elaborate facades. They do not wait for respect and justice to be handed to them. Although the ultimate outcome of their plans may not always be entirely beneficial towards them, each of these women go out and get the authority they have fought for and deserve. Medea, Judith, and Paxagora armed with costumes, false feelings, and clever lies succeed in their own individual tasks, despite an unfair society that actively seeks to limit the scope of their power.

Table of contents

1. 101 Dalmatians
2. Dumbo
3. Theme parks

101 Dalmatians

When someone mentions 101 Dalmatians almost everyone knows exactly what you’re talking about. 101 Dalmatians was one of the most popular Disney movies ever. It came out in 1961, and the two loving dogs Pongo and Perdita tugged at everyone’s heart strings.

The movie takes place in Mr. Dearly’s home taking care of his dog Pongo. Throughout the movie the characters run into a dangerous amount of obstacles and try to save their dogs from the dog killing villain Cruella de vil. Cruella wants the Dalmatians to make gorgeous fur coats out of them and to sell them at her fashion shows. She finds out some people who have over one hundred Dalmatians and tries to steal them and keep them hostage and eventually kill them for their fur. The dogs are smart though and make way to escape the devilish Cruella De Vil.

On all of the dogs in the movie there are about 6,469,952 spots.

The dog’s barks in the movie were actually coming from a human.

Only 15 puppies were named in the movie. The 15 puppies’ names were Lucky, Thunder, Rolly, Patch, Pepper, Penny, Cadpig, Freckles, Purdy, Whizzer, Jewel, Dipstick, Two tone, Fidget, and Spotty.

Dumbo

In 1941 one of the greatest Disney animated films got released. Dumbo the elephant was born unique from the start, with his enormous ears Dumbo learned to fly and escape the laws of gravity. He had a hard life from the day he was born (or dropped to his mother by a stork). Dumbo’s mom got taken away from him for trying to protect her son and of course people made fun of him for his giant ears so they made the name Dumbo. When Dumbo came to his mother she cared about him so much and wanted to protect him as much as possible. When some kids come up to Dumbo and start teasing him his mother loses her temper. His mom gets taken away and Dumbo is all alone. Throughout the movie Dumbo and Timothy the mouse gains confidence in Dumbo to stand up to people and start believing in himself. Dumbo was the shortest Disney animated film ever made. It was only 64 minutes long. There was supposed to be a sequel to Dumbo but it got cancelled.

Harry Truman refused to ride the Dumbo ride while visiting Disney world because he didn’t want to be seen riding something that represents the Republican Party.

Theme parks

Disney has six theme parks throughout the world: Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, California, and Florida. Each one has their own unique touch. In Shanghai the castle is the biggest and one of the most impressive. It’s called the Enchanted Storybook Castle. The whole theme park together took more the five years to build and cost more than two billion dollars. Most kids that grow up in China don’t get influenced by the Disney characters that we do, because they don’t grow up with the animated characters United States kids grew up with. So when people started building Disney they needed to take their own twist on it and make it feel like each character has been there, their whole life. Disneyland Paris was the second Disney theme park ever made. Their castle has their own twist on what Princess Aurora’s castle would look like.

There are many workers in Disney Paris and over 100 employees there are from different nationalities. Hong Kong, Japan, California, and Florida’s Disney castles are based on the classic Cinderella’s castle and have over a hundred different rides with each park with one or more own unique rides that you can’t find anywhere else.